A Johnson Tale...

Moving woes

2011-04-07T18:42:00.003-05:00

Packing + a baby = unproductive.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

1 month shy of a year

2011-04-04T14:49:00.007-05:00

My little, monkey man is 11 months old today.

Hold up... What the what?!? Where the heck did this last year go? Wasn't it JUST yesterday that I was humongo, swollen and prego? I can't believe how close we are to the year mark, and I certainly hope this next month goes by very, very slooooow.

Happy 11 months baby boy. We sure do love you around here.

Just another day in paradise...

2011-04-01T09:45:00.012-05:00

7:30: Is it seriously already morning?

7:45: Nate is whiiiiiining.

8:00: Oatmeal explodes in the microwave and makes a gooey mess.

8:02: I make a second bowl.
8:05: Nate is refusing to eat the oatmeal I sweated over.
8:10: I mix in yogurt and more fresh fruit to try to tempt him.
8:12: Nate says "Nice try."
8:15: "Fine... you'll want it soon enough," and I remove Nate from his highchair.

8:17: Nate forages for rogue puffs on the seat of his highchair while I wipe the sticky oatmeal goo out of the microwave.
8:20: Nate is banging on the dryer.
8:25: Now he's moseying back into the living room (whining because he's so dadgum hungry) chewing on something.

8:26: I walk over, concerned about what's in his mouth, and dig out a corn kernel from last night's dinner.

8:28: I put Nate on the couch with my bowl of fruity oatmeal in tow.
8:30: I sign "eat, eat, eat... Hey Nate, over here... eat."
8:32: Nate is brainwashed into eating. Sweet victory.

8:37: Nate is crawling back into the kitchen to push the chairs around the tile floor.

8:41: Nate is back in the living room pulling up on the couch (where my duff is planted) making his squishy face, which means it's getting to be "that time."

8:45: Nate is laughing because I am kiss-tickling his neck.

8:50: Big poop

8:52: I clean the little bum and put a poop-free diaper on it.

8:55: Nate lays his head down on my shoulder.

8:56: I walk into his room, turn the humidifier on, and close the blinds.

8:58: I put the still-awake Nate in his crib while he yells protests in Babyish that I can't quite make out (but I don't think they were nice).

8:59: Nate gives up and rolls to his tummy and falls asleep.

9:00: I walk out while saying, "nigh night, I love you," proceed to wash some poop off my hand, snot off my shoulder, and oatmeal goo off my arm, and grab a much needed Diet Coke from the fridge.

The life of a stay at home mom is glamorous. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. ;)

Almost two years...

2011-03-30T19:49:00.012-05:00

Dinner is put away, the ol' fort is clean and the baby is asleep. Oh, sweet relief. That means it's time for a little Netflix Instant Queue action. Ahhhhh, relaxation. Now I just need some chocolate...

So, tonight I chose to watch "This Is It." I've seen it a couple of times, but it's one of those movies/documentaries that is absolutely timeless. Probably because Jackson is timeless. It certainly brought me back to almost two years ago when I was literally grieving his death. And that same pain, albeit not nearly as intense, still sweeps over me like a phantom when I think about it.

It was a very peculiar time in my life. I was taking a summer yoga class at tamu, and every morning I had to hold back tears because of the sadness I felt about his passing. This lasted about two full months. Thank goodness for meditation. Why was I so upset about his death? Beats me. I still don't fully know why it made me as devastated as it did. Marc even said to me, "I didn't know you cared so much." I replied, "me neither."

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a huge MJ fan. I am. You know that time in your life when you realize that there is a world outside of your immediate family? I was nearly 5 when that happened, and MJ was the first person I "befriended." Yep, I literally thought he was my friend. My older brothers loved him, and the annoying, little, copy-cat sister who yearned so desperately for their approval, followed suit. That was back in the EARLY nineties when Dangerous was just released. Heal the World, Remember the Time, and of course Black or White became favorites among the highly respected opinions of my brothers. Likewise, they also became favorites of mine. Funny thing is... They still are. Pretty amazing how much childhood events can shape you. I can remember watching the world premier of Black or White back in 1991. I was four years old and yet that memory is still so vivid... Sitting on the living room floor (on that fabulous 1970s carpet nonetheless), watching it on that old TV with my family. Thinking I was SOOO cool because I was watching something my brothers were so excited about. I felt part of the club, and the memory alone still fills me with a feeling of satisfaction.

A little while later we saw "Moonwalker" for the first time on TV and were introduced to "the lean." It was a movie that had a bunch of random segments. The Smooth Criminal segment (which became the music video) had three, little homeless children in it. One, a little, blonde girl named Katie, was besties with Jackson. That solidified it... I was little! I was blonde! Jackson and I were, from that moment on, friends too. This video is still one of my favorites (minus the weird, uncomfortable moaning part in the middle). Sadly, my siblings and I never did quite figure out how to do that lean.

Fast forward a couple years and you'd see us all marvel at his 1993 Super Bowl XXVII halftime show. It lit a flame in that little 6-year-old's heart to do good... To help heal the world and make it a better place. Just like he did.

Then came "Free Willy"... And thus the Free Willy Song (aka Will You Be There). To this day this is one of the only songs (other than Heart and Soul) that I can play on the piano. My mom was s.i.c.k. of this one. This song is absolutely beautiful (the real version, not my piano rendition).

Fast forward a couple more years and you would see me and my little sister playing on top of our playhouse, throwing shingles into the Sawyer's driveway (:/), singing You Are Not Alone from his 1995 album, HIStory.

Year, after year, after year, you would see all of us kids attempting the moonwalk on the vinyl kitchen floor in our white, worn socks. Time and time again we swore that THAT time we nailed it.

And year after year we were impervious to the incessant public ridicule he endured. No matter what anyone said, to us, he was just MJ... A guy that loved kids, gave us the moonwalk, legendary music, cool sibling clubs, and some of the fondest childhood memories I have...

To this day he remains THAT man. A man that spent his life trying to heal the world. A man that gave millions trying to instill love and hope in the weak and voiceless. A man that tried to keep childhood innocence alive and was never thanked for it... Only hurt, abused and tormented. But he still, through it all, gifted the world with his words... through music. And his music lives on. Therefore he, and his message of peace, live on.

And though two years have gone by, his loss still hits me like a ton of bricks... Especially when I journey back like this. He will always mean more to me than people will be able to understand. Even myself. It's almost as if he spoke to my soul at such an early age that it affected something I no longer have access to. He left an impression in such a deep place... That even acknowledging his absence now feels unnatural. He defined my childhood, he was my first friend, he made me an equal with my brothers, and he lit a fire that is still ablaze within me. A fire to do good.

A fire to simply "make the world a better place."

Little buddy

2011-03-17T08:48:00.006-05:00

I think I just need to get used to my body always having a boo-boo. For the last 10 months (all starting with the painful csection) I've been a walking disaster! Ingrown toe, then toe surgery, a seriously burnt hand from that dang pop tart, then I ripped off the entire other big toenail, the lovely finger slice from a Cutco knife, and now my poor nose...

I had this bump thing on the left side of my nose. I always assumed it was a mole, and outside of personal vanity, it never bothered me. I've had it for about 7-8 years, but it just recently started to get bigger and bigger. So, like the highly intelligent woman that I am, I decided to remove it myself with that over-the-counter wart/mole removing stuff. Doctors are overrated anyway. A very concerned husband even read the warning label aloud to me to try to sway my MD skills: "Do not use on face." Psh, what do they know? SO, for about a week I applied the Salicylic Acid to this mystery bump. Finally, after a few days it was clear it was doing more harm than good so I stopped. Dangit! Marc:1, Liz:0... I hate it when that happens. So, defeated, I made an appointment with a real-life doctor.

The appointment with my FP was last week and he referred me to a dermatologist, who I saw yesterday. I've never been to a dermatologist, so I didn't know what to expect, but I thought they'd have similar practices to family practitioners. I thought they would address the problem, identify a plan of action, and schedule me for tests/procedures etc... Not so much. He took one look at my mystery bump and recommended removing it for a biopsy right away. He explained that it was simple enough, and he would just numb the area and cut it off. No biggie. BUT, I was still not understanding that this was going to happen at THIS appointment, and when I saw him turn around and grab a shot I said, "we're doing this NOW?!" Obviously used to us lowly, non-medical, common people, he nicely replied in the affirmative. "Umm... Okay... Well, I've never had a shot in the nose... How bad is it going to hurt?" He then said, "Well it's definitely a tender area." Awesome. Way to calm the nerves Doc! So I buckled up and took that shot like a man. And, yep! Definitely a tender area. But before I knew it my little, mystery buddy was gone and off to the lab. What was left was a perfectly circular wound, and a VERY white nose from the anesthetic. The nurse even said to me as I was walking out, "When you get home and see your nose don't freak out... it won't stay like that." Haha, nice.

I have to wear a band-aid on it for a week while it heals, which really intrigues a certain baby. In the first picture you can kind of see the band-aid, and in the top right you can see Nate trying to yank it off. Then in the bottom left is a sad Naters because Mama won't let him have it. It's hard to see, but the last picture shows the battle wound and how perfectly circular it is.

Overall, I'm glad they sneak attacked me and removed it yesterday. Hopefully the lab doesn't find anything, and my little buddy is gone for good!

Ever changing plans...

2011-03-16T22:10:00.005-05:00

"What good is happiness if you keep forgetting you have it?" -Reg Saner

What's one of the hardest things for me, personally, to deal with? Change. Like hardcore. No matter what, if there is a big change in my life, I usually have a momentary life-crisis. Even if the change is good. For example, when Marc and I got married. I made myself sick the.entire.honeymoon. Pathetic. It was such an amazing change, but a huge change. And I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that I was a wife, and there was this boy in my bedroom. ;) Or, when Nate was born. HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE. But, it took me some time to get "broken-in" to motherhood. My family and friends can attest to the tears of adjustment that were present in this tiny apartment for a good three weeks postpartum. Now, I look back on those situations, and all the others, with nothing but fond memories.

Because the truth? I'm a drama queen ruled almost entirely by emotion. True story. Feel free to ask Marc if you need confirmation. And, thank the Good Lord for that wonderful husband of mine. He is, without any doubt, my better part. He takes that raw emotion and channels it into logical thinking. And when there's logic present, life-crisis situations don't seem all that critical anymore. Because no matter what life throws your way... Change, sadness, loneliness, confusion, rejection, disappointment etc, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. Trials aren't forever. You're not the only one. And good ol' Perspective is standing RIGHT in front of you just waiting for you to look his way.

SO... on the eve of yet another lease-signing...

Which means we didn't find a job before our current lease was up...

Which means we can't move or buy a house...

Which means Marc still gets to work 70 hours a week for us to just get by...

And that means I get to spend every weekday from 7:35am-11pm away from my husband for yet another year...

Which also means Nate doesn't get to see his dad during the week...

... It ALL just gives me another opportunity to be grateful. Did things work out the way I had planned? Nope. Sure didn't. But we still have so much to be grateful for. We're poor, but we have jobs. I don't get to see my amazing husband much, but I HAVE an amazing husband. Nate doesn't get to play with his dad during the week, but he has the best dad in the world. What we lack in money and time, we make up for in love. And I cannot think of a larger blessing than L.O.V.E.

We have everything we will ever need.

Grateful for curveballs

2011-03-11T19:41:00.011-06:00

"Down an unknown road.

To embrace my fate.

Though that road may wander.

It will lead me to you."

Life is full of surprises. Just when you think you've got things figured out, a curveball comes your way to spice things up. We've recently had an encounter with a curveball, and it's changed our lives, especially our relationships with our Savior, forever. There is no humanly way possible to express the level of gratitude for this curveball. It saved me... body, mind and soul. Truth opened my eyes by touching my heart.

This has been on my mind lately, which has allowed me to see Christ in literally every facet of life. Including sweet, simple lullabies. There are a couple songs I sing to Nate at bedtime. One of them is "Go the Distance" from Hercules. I'm not sure why, It's just become one of our precious songs. While I rocked and sang to my sweet baby boy tonight, I realized how wonderfully the lyrics correspond with our lifelong quest for Truth... That personal, faithful journey to one day find "our hero's welcome, waiting in His arms."

"I have often dreamed, of a far off place

Where a hero's welcome, would be waiting for me

Where the crowds will cheer, when they see my face

And a voice keeps saying, this is where I'm meant to be

I'll be there someday, I can go the distance

I will find my way, if I can be strong

I know ev'ry mile, will be worth my while

When I go the distance, I'll be right where I belong

Down an unknown road, to embrace my fate

Though that road may wander, it will lead me to you

And a thousand years, would be worth the wait

It might take a lifetime, but somehow I'll see it through

And I won't look back, I can go the distance

And I'll stay on track, no, I won't accept defeat

It's an uphill slope, but I won't lose hope

Till I go the distance, and my journey is complete

But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part

For a hero's strength is measured by his heart

Like a shooting star, I will go the distance

I will search the world, I will face it's harms

I don't care how far, I can go the distance

Till I find my hero's welcome, waiting in your arms

I will search the world, I will face its harms

Till I find my hero's welcome, waiting in your arms"

"It's an uphill slope.

But I won't lose hope.

Till I go the distance.

And my journey is complete."

Brave Kiddo

2011-03-08T10:09:00.012-06:00

It started out as such a nice day. I was feeling motivated, the house was clean, Naters was happily playing, and I was looking forward to doing nothing but laundry, catch up on emails, and maybe head to the park with Nate for a little sunshine. Talk about the calm before the storm. My Monday turned out nothing like that. Picture:

Screaming

Blood¹⁰

Bloody vomit

3 calls to the pediatrician

2 visits to Urgent Care

1 panicked mother

1 visit to the ER

1 pound of destroyed linen

1 popsicle

... And you've got a pretty good picture of how our Monday went down.

The 411:

So, after lunch Nate and I were hanging out in the living room playing. We have an ottoman in front of the couch that can double as more seating, so it's equipped with padding. As noted in my previous post, Nate pulls himself up on EVERYTHING... baskets, tables, ottomans, chairs, couches, you name it and he'll most likely pull himself up on it. I've never been worried about the ottoman because it has that wonderful "cushy" quality that is perfect for wobbly youngins. Yeah, well, even cushion couldn't protect him in this situation:

He was standing with his feet firmly planted on the ground, hands securely positioned at 10 and 2, with a stream of drool slowly crawling down the right side of his chin. With a big grin on his face he commenced his decision to be done with the boring ol' ottoman and sit down on the ground. Seemingly innocent, no? Well, apparently the ottoman wasn't done with him, and as that cute, little, baby bum fell to the ground, his chin caught the top of the ottoman. His jaw then proceeded to close tightly on the tip of his tongue, and those sharp, little teeth successfully sliced it ALL the way through. I immediately picked him up and could tell he was in serious pain. Then came the blood. Slowly at first and then, as if the Hoover Dam sprang a leak, blood started to unmercifully gush out of his poor mouth. Within a couple minutes I got the bleeding under control. I didn't even think it was all that serious (babies get bonked, you know?) until all heck broke loose and we couldn't get the bleeding under control for several hours. It was then I realized it wasn't simply a bite.

Long story short I took him to Urgent Care TWICE. The first time his bleeding stopped while we were in the waiting room, so I thought we were good and headed home. The nurse at UC said if it starts bleeding again just bring him back. Sweet. But, AS SOON as I got home his tongue started back up. So, I called my pediatrician for the second time. Again, they said there wasn't much UC could do and the bleeding should stop soon. Umm... Okay... So, after he threw up blood (because he was swallowing so much) we put him down for a nap and he woke up in SEVERAL puddles of blood. Thick blood too... full of clots.

... YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!?!?!

At that point, with him COVERED in blood, more of it pouring out of his mouth, and we're going on 4.5 hours, I said screw the pediatricians and their "advice." I'm not letting my child GUSH blood for this long and just wait idly for it to stop for crying out loud! We did everything they told us to do... ice, pressure etc... and it's still bleeding. Nope, nope, nope! So we headed back to UC, only to be told (while I'm holding my blood-soaked child nonetheless) that they won't treat him because he's so young. Awesome. Then, WHY on earth did you tell me to come back if the bleeding starts back up? Stupid. So, with what seriously looked like a baby Joker from "The Dark Night" in tow, we headed back to the car. Next stop: ER.

Best decision ever. I walked up to the check-in counter and the nurses' jaws just dropped. I didn't even manage to tell them my name before I started sobbing. They got us back right away, and started the process of getting that little mouth to feel better. The best part was this suctioning thing (like they have at the dentist), that we could stick in his mouth and suck out all the blood and clots. At this point there was so much bleeding that some of the blood was clotting into strings that were sticking to his palette, teeth and tongue. It looked like a bloody spider web in his mouth. When I first wiped a "stringy clot" out of his mouth, I looked at Marc and said with genuine concern, "tell me that's not tongue guts." Haha. Anyway, we tried a grape popsicle (which, surprisingly he didn't like, though it could have been his sore tongue) and pressure and the bleeding eventually stopped. For a while the doctor thought he had Hemophilia because his tongue just wouldn't quit. And, despite it all, Nate was a such a TROOPER the entire time! The nurses kept smiling and saying how happy he was even though he looked so... hurt.

I'm SO grateful we went to the ER. Best $100 dollars we ever spent even though there wasn't much they could do. I just felt more peaceful being at a hospital when my baby was in such distress and bleeding THAT badly. Thank you to all who offered support while we were going through this. I was a mess yesterday, and the thoughts, prayers and supportive concern helped so very much. I honestly appreciate the support and love more than I can say.

And this is my sweet pea tonight. Aside from a sore tongue he is doing much, much better! I also noticed that he cut his 8th tooth (ugh, more weapons) last night. Talk about a sore mouth! Poor kiddo... But he's definitely, without question, my brave kiddo.

Wave: verb [ intrans. ] The moving of one's hand to and fro in greeting...

2011-03-05T10:44:00.009-06:00

Nate learned to wave a couple of days ago, and we've been trying and trying to get it on camera. Unfortunately, the camera might as well be code for "pause button," because as soon as it comes out Nate decides to go on intermission. We managed to capture a teeny bit of it, so you get the idea.

... Yeah, and I apologize for the frump-alicious manner in which I'm portrayed. When Nate is doing something cute, he won't exactly wait for you to change out of your pjs, put on makeup or fix the ol' hairdo. Nonetheless... enjoy!

This was taken 3/4/11... His 10 month birthday!

Nater pants: 9 months!

2011-03-03T13:22:00.001-06:00

Baby boy is 9 months old! Well, actually tomorrow he will be 10 months old, but that's how behind I am. :/ These photos and the majority of the videos are from his 9th month. I've said it to a couple people already, but his personality sure did start to shine at 9 months. He's such a fun, silly, little man. Below are a bunch of tidbits about our 9-month-old. I'm writing all of this down more for me so I remember all the cute stuff he did, so if I seem fairly winded, that's why! So, here are some fun facts about our handsome 9 month old:

- At 9.5 months he was 23.6 pounds and 30 inches long. Still 90th percentile for both.

- I guess I'm playing catch up, but he started crawling at exactly 7.5 months. He's a little speedster now!

- He pulls himself up on everything, walks along furniture, and in between things (while holding on to us or furniture).

- He refuses to walk without assistance. If we stand him up and tell him to "come here," he will just fall forward into our arms and laugh hysterically.

- He's completely on solid foods now... meaning NO pureed baby food. If he can't feed it to himself then he doesn't want it!

- He loves all the veggies and fruits we've tried... carrots, potatoes, red and green peppers, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, peaches, strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, apples, and the list goes on.

- He's saying dada, mama, baba and knows the meaning for each of them. Those are the only words I can make out. He is also starting to baby sign back to me and definitely knows the meaning of "eat," and "more."

- He's going through separation anxiety and is most happy when he is in our arms or we are sitting next to him playing. Even when we are sitting next to him playing he will alternate between crawling into our laps, and then venturing out to play, lap, play, lap, play...

- He's shy. With other kids he just freezes and stares at them, and with adults he'll smile but as soon as they talk to him he SHOOTS back into mama's arms. However, it doesn't take him long to warm up.

- He LOVES his daddy... When the door opens at 4:45pm (when Marc gets home from his 1st job) he immediately gets excited. Once he sees Marc he exclaims, "dadadadadadadadada," and speed crawls, with a big grin on his face, over to him.

- Marc is normally in charge of bath time, and while the two of them are in there scrub-a-dub-dubbing, I hear a WHOLE bunch of laughs.

- Whenever he sees a blanket on the ground, he'll crawl over to it, lay face down, put his hands next to his sides and give it lots of snuggles. Today he pulled the dish towels down and did the same thing with them.

- When we go into his room at bedtime I turn on the fan, turn off the lights, walk up next to his crib and he commences to lay his head down on my chest and snuggle. Yeah, holy precious is right.

- He knows the word, "no," and for the most part listens... Unless he is being a stinker. And by "stinker," I mean he doesn't listen only when he is deliberately testing me. Ex: He was playing with the laptop cord (which is a no, no) and I told him "no." Then I reached my hand over and told him to "please give it to me." Nothing. I repeated myself, "Naters, please give it to me." Nothing. So, I reached for it, and he moved his little, chubby hand away. So I proceed to have a tug-of-war session with him, until I proved victorious. Realizing his defeat, he puckered up his nose, breathed in and out really hard for about 5 seconds, and then stopped and crawled away. Yeah, that's a great definition of "stinker."

- Marc and I talk on the phone during the day, and when Nate is around I put Marc on speaker. Now, whenever Nate sees me on the phone he smiles, crawls over to me and says "dadadadadadadada."

- He likes his new "big boy" car-seat. Much roomier.

- He people watches like crazy.

- He still gets ridiculously excited about books. Picture this: Me and Nate all snuggled up together in a rocker, relaxed and reading a bedtime story... NOT. It's more like: Me trying to hold Nate down because I want that other dang scenario, but Naters keeps swinging his arms around to grab and eat the book like a crazy person. A mother can dream.

- He's in size 5 diapers and size 6 night diapers.

- He and Monte are good buddies. Nate loves the dog toys and will follow Monte around with his mouth wide open because he wants Monte to lick him.

- He LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Playhouse Disney.

- He can hold his own bottle now, but often still wants to be snuggled while eating.

- He's in 18 month clothes and size 4 shoes.

- He'll, most definitely, eat the dog food if we aren't watchful.

- He loves being naked.

- He loves getting into everything. If something in a room is new, he'll recognize it instantly and go over to investigate.

- He smiles and laughs all day long. He really is a happy kid.

- He has 7, almost 8, teeth.

- He takes two naps and sleeps between 12-13 hours a night. ANGEL!

That's about all I can think of for now! Below are a bunch of videos... The mirror one is the only one when he was 8.5 months old.

Here is Nate throwing Monte's toy. Now that he knows how to play fetch and throw toys for Monte, he will randomly throw his own toys during the day and laugh. Other times he'll throw them and chase after them himself. Haha, goof!

Whenever Nate sees Monte playing with his toys, Nate will go over and try to steal them. Good thing Monte's patient!

Nate has been an ABSOLUTE JOY to us. Yes, he's growing up, which is hard for us moms, but he is also learning so many fun things and we get to see his personality blossom! He's one cool kid and we LOVE HIM TO BITS!!!!

God's Country

2011-03-02T20:09:00.013-06:00

At the beginning of January we had the opportunity to go home to Colorado. This was Nate's first trip up north, and though we had lots of fun, he wasn't much of a fan. The poor kid got sick and spent the entire trip with a case of the flu... Which means he was quite the grump. Guess that Colorado blood in him needs some more time to blossom!

I was fairly nervous about his first airplane experience. Well, to be honest, I was more nervous about going to second base and being stripped by TSA during security. But alas, I was neither virtually de-robed nor groped. PHEW! Neither was Marc, but I wasn't as worried about him ;). On the way there (pre-sick) Nate loved the flight, all the people, and the newness of it all. The white noise knocked him out and he slept soundly on both flights. The way back was another story. If he was going to be miserable, he was taking everyone else down with him! Sick child + flying = longest two hours of my life... and probably some of the passengers' lives too. Sorry!

Aww, my sweet niece, Poet, and Naters taking a bath together. Poet turned THREE while we were there. I CANNOT believe that baby girl is three years old. And, boy she is a smart, little thing. My sister has her hands full! But she is the sweetest kid I know and she absolutely ADORED her baby cousin. She has two baby dolls, both named Nate, and she constantly went around, pointing to Nate, saying this was her "baby cousin, Nate!" That kid needs a sibling stat... Or we need to move up there! Haha.

SNOW! Naters wasn't a fan... at all. And this is a good representation of how his face looked for the duration of the trip. Sick, sad, little boy. It's safe to say he got lots of extra loving while we were there!

I had some more pictures to add, but photobucket is being l.a.m.e and won't let me right now. So, in interest of not procrastinating any longer catching up with these blog posts, I'm going to skip them. Most of our plans were canceled so Nate could get better without infecting all of my friends' kids, so there aren't many pictures anyway. We did get to meet up with Mike and Beth at a 5-star Mexican restaurant ;), which was a lot of fun... We stayed past closing just talking until we received threatening stares from the waiters. Haha. And on our way home, we ran into the "Little Couple," from TLC at the Houston airport and I got a cheesy, fan picture with them (on Facebook), which was pretty embarrassing, but whatever! What can I say? I'm a cheesy fan.

Our Colorado trips are always fun, and my soul receives some much needed edification from journeying back to my roots. Plus, Colorado mountains draped in pure, white snow? Yeah, not many more beautiful sights than that. God's country indeed.

Baby's First Christmas

2011-02-05T14:44:00.003-06:00

Pathetic = My blogging skills.

How has it been so long since I blogged? So many things have happened. Like seriously. I guess I better start playing catchup!

Lets see... Where to start? Christmas! We had a great Christmas! Christmas time is always amazing, but this year was extra exciting since it was Nate's first. Well, exciting for us... Nate really couldn't have cared less. It was just another morning to him and he was just as happy playing with the ribbon and wrapping than with the oodles of presents under the tree labeled "Nate." It's the memories that count to me though and I wouldn't have changed a thing.

This was the 5th Christmas Marc and I have spent together. It was also the 5th Christmas that we went home and spent it with his family in the Dallas area. Due to his job at UPS he's unable to get any time off during "peak season." Basically it's work, work, work from October-December 31st. Lame. So, we haven't been able to spend any of the holidays with my family yet. They don't even get Christmas Eve off. But I could go on an entirely different rant for that one. But, needless to say, we still had fun. Although Christmas Eve I got a visit from someone else besides Santa: The Sick Fairy. Yes... The entire time we were home for Christmas I was S.I.C.K. I'm talking the sorest throat I've ever had sick. I ate 150 (we counted) cough drops while I was there (3 days) JUST to take the edge off. Miserable. Speaking of which, we need to buy my MIL a couple bags of cough drops as I ate ALL of hers. What a great guest! Haha.

We hope everyone had a great Christmas filled with love, family and the sweet, peaceful spirit of Christ. :)

A couple treats for our neighbors. :)

And some treats for my old coworkers at Rey Rey.

Hundreds of bright lights = baby distractor.

Santa came!

Yeah, that's a whole lotta presents.

But he goes for the .10 cent ribbon. Nice.

Merry Christmas all!

Leap of Faith

2010-12-23T19:11:00.004-06:00

Wow! I can't believe we're really done. I've been obsessed with the goal of graduating college since I was a sophomore in high school, and the feeling of accomplishing such a huge, personal goal is truly beyond words at this point.

Texas A&M has become my second home. I embarked on this college journey a young, naive 18 year old girl. I moved 1000 miles away from home, security, family, friends, money and everything that made my life mine. And, honestly, if you had told me 6.5 years ago that I would end up in Texas, I'd look at you with those judging adolescent eyes, that my parents knew all too well, and think you were out of your ever-lovin' mind. But, it's with nostalgia that I look back on those life-changing decisions in my story. I still remember that pertinent moment like it was yesterday. I was standing in my upstairs bedroom, 6 years ago this month, and watching the snow fall out of my corner window. It was heavenly the way the white drifted down against the backdrop of the black, Colorado sky. It was at this moment that I made up my mind about Texas. I already knew that's where I wanted to be. I knew there would be consequences and realized the strain it would put on several relationships. I was stubborn, rash, spontaneous, uncontrollable and more hard-headed than an old donkey. I knew people wouldn't understand, but that didn't matter. I wanted to get out, I was a young girl in love for the first time, and I CRAVED adventure. I looked at the world as an open door earnestly waiting for me to take that first step, and the feeling of peace I had while those white flakes fell before me gave me all the courage I needed. So, despite parental opposition, I said goodbye to everything I knew, took a leap of faith, and when my feet hit the ground I was in Texas. Who would have thought that by giving up everything I knew, I'd gain everything I am.

It's funny how things work out. It was here that I lost who I thought to be the most important person in my life... One year after those snowflakes fell. It was here that I cried until I thought my heart was literally bleeding. It was here that I felt such loneliness, betrayal, sadness, homesickness and regret. It was here that I faced reality and the consequences of my decisions. It was here that those teenage expectancies died. It was here that I learned that life isn't fair, that just because a person says they are going to do something doesn't mean they will, and that the word "promise," doesn't mean "guarantee." It was here, in a dark, lonely, tear-filled hotel room, when everything important to me was taken away, that I truly met and befriended God. It was here that I started to listen to his whisperings. It was here that I picked myself up, found strength and learned the meaning of self discovery. It was HERE that I grew up.

It was here, through seemingly endless lectures, classes, homework and tests, that I learned the meaning of hard work and persistence. It was here that I learned that large, personal goals don't come with immediate gratification. It was here I learned there was more to me than him. It was here that I learned what true friendship is. It was here that I met and fell in love with sisters. It was here that I saw unconditional love's beautiful face. It was here I learned that you get out as much as you put in. It was here that I was shown pure selflessness. It was here that a shy boy took my hand and gave me hope in human character again. It was here where I first felt safe. It was here that I fell more in love than I ever thought humanely possible. It was here my heart, again, learned to trust, and I discovered past abuses, hurts and trails can be healed, and more importantly... forgiven. It was here that I looked into familiar, loving eyes and gave my life to another. It was here that another gave a life to me... It was here, through tears, that I caught the first glimpse of my miracle. It was here I learned what a blessing motherhood is. It was here I was given a family. It was HERE that my life began.

Texas A&M gave me so much more than a standard, college education... Yes, I learned how to write a good paper. I learned that the depths of the mind are truly only restricted by yourself, that knowledge absolutely is power, and if you want something enough NOTHING can stand in your way. But I also learned how to grieve, overcome, give, take, accept, forgive, heal, care, trust, and love. And, as I take myself back to that cold, December night, 6 years ago, I do so with the sweetest gratitude to my Heavenly Father. Gratitude for his gift of tender peace. It was at that moment, as I watched those millions of white, snowflakes fall from the nightly Heavens, that I caught a glimpse of what was to be. Yes, my journey looked different than I imagined it would up in my bedroom that night. I took different roads, came to different intersections, made different choices, ran into different bumps and road blocks along the way, and had to stop for gas more than I thought I'd need to. Those roads led me to a different destination. "Different" than I expected 6 years ago. But, Heavenly Father knew all along. I thought that peace was telling me I had chosen the right companion... That moving to Texas would be the first step in that story. In reality, it had nothing to do with the journey, places or even people I was envisioning in that young, whippersnapper mind of mine. It has always been about this... NOW. This path. These people. This life. This story... My story. And the ending? Well, who knows! This is my life unwritten... But one thing will always be certain: I will forever be grateful for leaps of faith. And I will always be on the lookout for those quiet, peaceful whisperings. You never know when simply listening might just change your life... You've just gotta have a little faith. ;)

Some may boast of prowess bold
Of the school they think so grand
But there’s a spirit can ne’er be told
It’s the Spirit of Aggieland

We are the Aggies, the Aggies are we
True to each other as Aggies can be
We’ve got to fight boys
We’ve got to fight!
We’ve got to fight for Maroon and White

After they’ve boosted all the rest
Then they will come and join the best
For we are the Aggies, the Aggies are we
We’re from Texas AMC

Santa

2010-12-19T20:59:00.002-06:00

Nate got to meet Santa this last weekend! He was very polite and didn't swarm Santa with things he wanted for Christmas, just sat there and looked at the camera. No tears or anything! Sweet boy. :)

However, I would like the record to show that Santa takes people for RIDES! Seriously, the cheapest package was $20 for TWO, yes TWO, 5x7s. Really? Santa must be livin' large up at the North Pole. I bet he's watching all those sleeping, naughty and nice kids on the Samsung UN46C7000 LED/LCD HDTV... in 3-D.

Scooting Nate and Nerds

2010-12-14T14:35:00.008-06:00

We have a man on the move... Mr. Nate started scooting this past week! Now, if you refer back to my post "Big Boy Nate," I said that I had bet Marc that Nate would cut his first tooth by 5 months old... But that little toofer had to wait until he was 5 months, 2 days to make its debut. Well in my post, "You will call her mom," I said something similar about Nate being mobile. I said I thought he'd be moving by 7 months. Well, once again, I lose the bet! You think I'd learn. He was 7 months and 1 week. But hey, those are still pretty close prediction skills if I do say so myself. ;)

He gets better and better at going forward everyday. He can put his knees underneath him but he hasn't figured out the whole alternating knee/hand thing yet. He's our little inchworm.

And here he is in the kitchen. I have to get creative when I want to video him. If I try to make him scoot towards one of his regular, boring, everyday toys then he wants no business in such ridiculous antics. So, I put some of Marc's Halloween Nerds on the floor and viola!

Who would have thought Nerds were so hilarious?! Such a funny, little man. :)

A month of stuff...

2010-12-14T09:42:00.005-06:00

My, my, my... I guess my blogging skills need a little jump-start since I've been MIA for awhile. We've had quite the busy month so I will do my best to take care of some catch up. Let's see... Where to begin? Oh yes! I got some pretty bad owies. I think these were more like 2 months ago:

Sick, huh? I got burned really bad and this picture was RIGHT afterwards. You should have seen it when I went to the doctor. The blisters were huge. All of that happened from taking a freaking Fiber One Pop-tart out of the toaster. The worst part was it wasn't even for ME! The frosting got on my skin and the result: A month of pain. Suck. And then I also had a NASTY ingrown toenail so they took off the entire nail on my big toe. Be happy you're seeing the after, not the before. Gross.

We were all Texas Renaissance Festival virgins, and since Marc won some free tickets on the radio we headed to Plantersville, two weeks before Thanksgiving, in high hopes of awesomeness...

The Pros: The size and grandeur of it was pretty amazing to say the least. It truly felt like walking into a different, faraway land. They also had yummy food and pretty cool shows.

The Cons: Holy knockers batman. Seriously. I think nearly 90% of the women that were participating were dressed in VERY scantly clad ensembles. And don't even get me started on the choice attires some men sported. I don't know about any of you but my mother always said, "If you see a man whose upper thighs are ~~pasty~~ lacking sun and covered in coarse, dark hair and who's wearing a short, Tinkerbell skirt with a pink bra on top then keep walking." Good advice, mom. Good advice.

Mike (Marc's oldest brother), Beth, Sarah and Caleb also came to visit from Colorado, which was a ton of fun! Caleb (in the above picture with cousin Nate) is only about 3.5 weeks younger than Nate but holy size difference! Nate is a l.i.n.e.b.a.c.k.e.r compared to Caleb. Cute, cute boys!

Ah yes... And the annual, Thanksgiving camping trip! We opted out of actually "camping" this year due to the weather, having a 6 month baby, and the fact that our home is only about 45 minutes away from the campsite. And, let me tell ya, we are SOOO glad we did. It got below freezing some of the nights. No. Thank. You... Not with a baby.

This was when it was starting to get chilly... Nate is all bundled up napping on mama.

...Some other random happenings from this last month. Harry Potter 7.1 (holler), Black Friday shopping, visiting the family, and just having fun with my boys! Another BIG thank you to G'ma and G'pa Johnson for babysitting Nate so we could go on a double date with Sandee and Jenner! It was our first date in over 6.5 months. So wonderful.

Last weekend we took Nate to his first Aggie basketball game. He was very unsure about it at first. Every time we scored... the Aggie fans screamed... and Nate cried. I had to cover his ears for about 15 minutes every time we scored. But by the end he was having loads of fun watching the game/people, dancing on daddy's lap, and listening to the band play. Very relieved because we LOVE basketball games in his fam.

Christmas time! I love the feeling in our home all the time, but it is definitely extra special during this special season. I love everything about Christmas... The baking, decorating, giving, Santa, family time etc... And even though I don't get nearly as excited about gifts as I once did, I am, quite possibly, the most excited I've EVER been to watch the people I love open their goodies on Christmas morning. Yep, when the boys are happy, mama's happy. :)

And that about wraps it up for now... Next weekend Marc and I are both graduating! Marc just turned in his last paper and is officially D.O.N.E. Happiness doesn't even come close to what that dude is feeling. As much as we are going to miss these wonderful chapters in our lives, it feels so good to say: WE ARE NO LONGER STUDENTS! WHOOP! Pictures of the big day to come...

Marc's Aggie Ring Day- 11/12/10

2010-11-12T20:22:00.007-06:00

"The coveted Aggie Ring is a treasure that can only be acquired through a commitment to academic achievement. It symbolizes a tradition of excellence, leadership, loyalty and integrity. Earning one signifies that you will forever be a part of something bigger than yourself."

For outsiders, it may seem a little crazy how "passionate" us Aggies are about our Aggie Rings. I remember talking to my brother, who is from Colorado, about how excited I was to finally get mine. Consequently, I can still remember the perplexed look he gave me. I suppose the famous Aggie quote says it beautifully: "From the outside looking in you can't understand it, and from the inside looking out you can't explain it." It's really difficult to articulate what it means to be an Aggie, and how important our traditions, culture and experiences are for us.

Brief history:

"The Aggie Ring is the most visible symbol of the Aggie Network that connects Aggies around the world. Dating back over a hundred years, it is a tradition that is deep in symbolism. Every symbol represents values every Aggie should hold: Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect and Selfless Service.

Those that have earned the right to wear the Aggie Ring have cleared some of the toughest requirements in the country for a class ring; thus making it one of the most treasured items an Aggie possesses. The requirements were established by the Official Senior Ring Committee of 1933.

The Association of Former Students Aggie Ring Program has the honor and responsibility of protecting the integrity of the Aggie Ring. They oversee the eligibility, order and delivery for more than 9,000 students each year. Aggie Ring Day is one of the most anticipated milestones in an Aggie student's career."

Yep. That's a whole lot of people!

Nate was a trooper the whole time, and we were there for a while waiting. Here he was ripping out some grass. At least he wasn't eating it. :) He actually really enjoyed being in the busy crowd and looking at people. Plus, he loved all the attention he got, especially from the girls. Flirt.

This is Marc FINALLY getting his ring! The first picture is me presenting it to him. The second picture doesn't really need a caption... He's in love. And the last- GIG' EM WHOOP! It was such a special day for Marc, and another 2000 Aggies. Congrats to all of you!

We really love A&M and our time spent here. It's very sad to be so close to closing this chapter in our lives. But as they say, "Once an Aggie, always an Aggie." I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to join the Aggie family, and even MORE grateful for meeting my husband here.

Marc has worked so hard for this moment, and he, more than anyone I know, deserves this. So congratulations Marc!!! You're freaking awesome and I (and Nate) are so proud of you!

Face yoga

2010-11-11T09:29:00.003-06:00

My mother-in-law recently asked me, "Is being a mother harder than you thought it would be?" I've thought about this question a little more, and while I initially said, "no," I think that answer needs some revision. Motherhood IS what I expected it to be in some areas, but it is also harder in others. Like emotionally. Because dang. When I became a mother I became a basket-case. I'll cry at a thoughtful greeting card. Seriously. I also didn't expect the constant worry. Even if I'm not thinking about Nate, I'm thinking about him. He's always in my mind, even if he's napping or asleep at night. That worry can sometimes be extremely draining, but I've decided I need to get used to it. I have a hunch it will be a constant companion through life. Oh, I also didn't think it would be as tiring as it sometimes can be. A screaming baby can take the energy out of you as fast as Marc scarfed Nate's Halloween Candy. ;)

There are also things I didn't expect to be as amazing as they are... I knew that I would absolutely adore my son, but I had no idea how much happiness he could bring me. It's a different kind of happiness that is difficult to articulate. When I go into his room in the morning and see his smiling face starting up at me my heart feels something that it has never felt prior to having kids... That love and happiness that seem only to come from your children. An unconditional happiness. So, motherhood has really been all of the above for me... Some things I expected, some are definitely harder and some are more wonderful than I ever could have imagined. On the days that I am rested I somehow see more wonderful things than hard. I wonder why? It must be a coincidence. ;)

Anyway, I took this video this morning. Sorry about the quality. I took it with my phone in yucky light. And I tell ya, I have the darnedest time keeping this kid from facing the tv. I'm sure the logical answer would be to turn OFF the tv, but that's not going to happen. I can't stand the house to be that quiet. I have either Playhouse Disney on or Netflix kid shows/movies. And you'd be surprised how stress free kid shows are. My kind of entertainment! You'll see once he hears something interesting, he shoots around to watch. Stinker. The second half shows his failed attempts to crawl. It looks like he is doing "downward facing dog" (yoga pose) with his face. Haha. Poor kid!

My Man

2010-11-10T12:59:00.007-06:00

It's true. My husband may be Apple obsessed. He may also erroneously think that he's the master at Wii Tetris. He may even have an issue with "communication" while watching an Aggie football game. And maybe, just maybe, he may have a vein that sticks out of his forehead when he laughs too hard...

But he is, without any doubt, the sweetest man around.

"Fill your minds with truth. Fill your hearts with love. Fill your lives with service."

2010-11-09T09:40:00.018-06:00

Phew... Monday was rough! I'm so glad it's a new day with a fresh perspective. In response to my previous post, "Disappointment and Expectation," I wanted to share something. First, I have to say that I have some pretty amazing/smart friends. I've seriously been wrestling with this issue for a LONG time. Recently, because of certain events, it just became too much for me to handle. Consequently, I literally spent a full day in tears. But my friend, Catherine, said something very influential:

"Just because someone SHOULD be able to give you something (i.e. love, appreciation, support, etc.) doesn't mean they can and so there comes a point where you have to learn to stop needing that from them."

Nothing has affected me as much as these words. The hard reality is that there are going to be people in all of our lives who will inevitability always be there. I needed or had a vision of what I wanted from these certain people, only to be disappointed and extremely distraught when that hope was constantly let down. To me it was more than just a "want." I feel like there was a basic "need" that wasn't being met. But, like Catherine said, the situation is not going to change because it is very possible they are simply incapable of giving me what I need. So I need to learn not to need from them anymore.

For now it is sad that I will never have the relationship that I earnestly wanted with these people. Mainly because I think it was just something that I built up in my head for so long. Because I have had these hopes for as long as I have, it is almost like I am grieving a death. But I am committed to stop needing things from them that they cannot give, which will eliminate my expectations and settle my disappointment. It's a hard thing to do, and may take some time, but I am very capable of putting my happiness in other things. In the meantime I can strive to selflessly love and serve them. As President Thomas S. Monson said, "Fill your minds with truth. Fill your hearts with love. Fill your lives with service."

... And therein lies true happiness.

Disappointment and Expectation

2010-11-08T09:08:00.007-06:00

Expectation: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.

Disappointment: the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one's hopes or expectations.

"Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed." - Alexander Pope

I keep replaying this quote over and over again in my head. I've been struggling lately with "expectation," and usually expectation's twin brother, "disappointment." (Side note: In 4th grade we had a spelling bee. My word was "disappointment," but I spelled it with two Ss and one P. To this day when I see this word, I revert back to my 4th grade, uncertain, apprehensive self and STILL question whether it has one or two Ss and Ps. Apparently I was traumatized by that situation. Some disappointments are hard to forget. And some people apparently cannot learn!)

Anyway, expectation and disappoint are fairly prevalent in my life, and probably most of yours. We face these emotions everyday. You wake up, go to the fridge for milk, discover that it's not there, and are disappointed because you really wanted cereal. You rush in the morning to make it to work/class on time, find your car has a flat, and kick the tire in disappointment because you're going to be late and have to take your car in to get fixed. Or, you've been hinting to your significant other that you really wanted a particular piece of jewelry and a romantic dinner for your anniversary, but they show up with a blender and pizza. Haha, that one's actually funny... And you are disappointed, and maybe even a little annoyed. ;)

So, what do you do? Well, crap happens. That's life. So you accept it and move on. You have a piece of toast instead, call in to work and tell them you're going to be late, and keep chanting, "it's the thought that counts."

But my question is: What happens when you are constantly being disappointed by the same situation? And it's a big situation? For example: You are constantly surrounded by particular people. Whether they are people you work with, friends, family etc... But you are rarely uplifted by them. Not because they are mean or hurtful, but because they just don't naturally "do" things or "act" in ways that makes you feel welcomed, liked, wanted etc... You clearly realize that the situation is this way, but you still always go into the situation with the hope or expectation that it will be different this time... You'll try harder, you'll get more involved, you'll do the things to them that you wish they would do to you, etc... But only to leave feeling, once again, the sting of disappointment. So what do you do after you feel you've tried everything to make it better? You can't keep your distance because you have to go to work, socialize with your friends or spend time with your family. And it's too difficult to just say you won't care, because you know that's a lie. You DO care. So how do you prevent the sadness?

"Disappointment to a nobel soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it." Eliza Tabor

You will call her mom

2010-11-05T10:33:00.015-05:00

I think every mother hears it.

That gut wrenching voice whispering that your baby's "baby time" is all too soon coming to an end. It's like trying to hold on to a dream, or savoring every flavor in your favorite dessert. You inevitably know that it will all be over soon, leaving you with the desire for more, so you earnestly try, with all your might, to soak in every moment.

But, it's over too fast.

My baby boy is growing up. It's a hard and often tearful reality for me to face. Every time he falls asleep on my chest I nestle my head close to his, quietly listen to him breathe, give him a little squeeze and kiss and want nothing more than to stop time. Stop it at a point when he still needs me so much. But with the inability to capture or bottle that feeling, smell, and warmth of holding my precious son, I just rock back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and know that the gift I hold in my arms will always be my gift. Whether he's little or big, young or old, here or there, I will always be that little boy's mother.

And with that thought comes the love and warmth of my Heavenly Father. And I feel a gentle peace.

I've enjoyed these last six months more than I ever could have imagined. Being a mother has awakened something in me that I hadn't realized was missing. I feel whole, complete. I feel that with the birth of Nate, I became a different person. I have become so aware of time, how fleeting it is, how precious life is, and how much our Lord must truly love us to give us families. People that fill our hearts with so much pure happiness, joy, peace, and love.

Nate is doing great. He's such an active, happy little goofball. He rolls all over the place, sits, loves all foods, and grabs everything in his sight. He hasn't quite figured out crawling yet but he sure wants to. I'd say before the month is over he'll be well on his way to mobile-hood. He's become quite the snuggler and loves being in the lap of mommy and daddy but also likes being on the floor exploring and playing. He smiles and laughs all the time, but can definitely let you know his opinion when he is dissatisfied with something. ;) He's ticklish just like his momma and jibber jabbers a lot... Also like his momma. He's still our little linebacker...

6 month stats:

20.4 lbs (Exactly two pounds heavier than 4 months)

27 inches

One of my friends, Michelle, gave me this poem when Nate was born... a whopping 6 months ago. This poem makes me cry every time I read it. I'm so grateful for these last 6 months, for my healthy, baby boy, and for the tremendous blessing called motherhood.

You Will Call her Mom

The child asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?" "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you." The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy." God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?" God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak." "And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?" God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray." "Who will protect me?" God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking it's life." "But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore." God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.

"You will simply call her "Mom."

I love you Nate.

Mickey's Halloween...

2010-11-02T08:55:00.024-05:00

We hope everyone had a great Halloween. We definitely did! We had a lot planned for Saturday and Nate was such a trooper through it all. We started out the day by driving to Round Rock for one of my best friends' daughter's 1st birthday party:

I can't believe Peyton is already a year old... It seems like just yesterday I was at the hospital with Lindsey when she was born. She is such a precious little girl. Nate LOVED her. And I mean HOLY. He's never shown that much interest in another baby. Shoot, he's never shown that much interest in anything other than his bottle. He wanted to be all over her and at one point attempted to climb Lindsey's leg to get to her. As we were walking out Marc said, "Dang Nate! You better slow down... You've got another 16 years." Haha. And so it begins...

Then we drove the 2 hours home, and if that wasn't enough stimulation for Nate, we then proceeded to put the poor kid in a Mouse costume. I attempted to make him a pumpkin costume. But between not having time and not being naturally gifted at sewing I decided I didn't need the extra stress and just bought his costume. Which I LOVED. And I think it is such a hilarious costume for several reasons. First, I really wanted him to be Mickey because it was clever. This may be TMI, but he was conceived at Disney World, so I thought it was fitting. Haha. And second, it was SOOO cute. He reminded me of the kid from "A Christmas Story," when his mom bundled him all up and he couldn't move. Oh man... Marc and I had sore abs for awhile. Nate is such a good sport.

So, then we went to the trunk-or-treat up at our church. We had lots of fun taking him around trunk-or-treating and seeing all the other kids' costumes. And, again, after a day of traveling, hardly any naps, and TONS of stimulation, he was so good. I've got to hand it to Nate. He is one cool kid.

Marc was thrilled with all of Nate's loot. Overall it was a fantastic Halloween and we can't wait until next year. Nate was SUCH a trooper and we made some great family memories. I just love the Holidays.

Two toofers and one gadget

2010-10-18T14:27:00.011-05:00

Well, it's Monday. Which means I'm sleepy and recovering from the weekend. Marc and I don't exactly go to bed early around here... Especially on weekends. When we have time together we definitely take advantage of it, often not going to bed until 1 or 2am. I guess that's what happens when one spouse works 70 hour weeks. Yep. Marc is hardcore. So when we have the weekends together (thank goodness he has them off) we are all about quality time. So, on this groggy (but beautiful) Monday afternoon, while my bundle of joy is napping, I thought I share a few things...

Well, #1- I finally got a picture of Nate's two little toofers! They are coming in full force now... And when he grins it's definitely one of the cutest things ever. He was eating pears in this picture. You can't really tell but it was ALL over him. Mmmmm!

And in other news, I got a new, very exciting gadget a couple weeks ago... A new CAMERA!!! And if you know me then you know that's a pretty big deal. I've been wanting a SLR for a LONG time and we finally invested and got one! Photography has always been a HUGE passion of mine, and I absolutely love being able to capture this little man:

If that's not inspiration then I don't know what is. I'm still in the "learning phase" when it comes to my camera, and I'm definitely a Photoshop virgin... Shoot, that piece is like learning another language. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't LOVING this process. Hopefully I'll produce some photos oozing fabulosity in the near future... Then again, it will probably take this rookie time to work out all the kinks. But half the fun is in the journey. And I'm SOO blessed to be a stay-at-home momma which enables me to go on this journey and indulge this passion of mine.

And... there's my cue. Mommy duty calls. :)

Until next time,

Solids: Take Two

2010-10-11T16:47:00.007-05:00

Solids, solids, solids... Oh how you used to intimidate me. But, alas, I am afraid no more... Nate is back on solids!

Liz #1: Did you say back on?

Liz #2: Yep, I sure did.

#1: Wait, didn't you start solids back when he turned four months old?

#2: Why yes, yes I did.

#1: So why the heck did you stop?!?

Now, before you go wondering if I created a duplicate Liz to be my own, personal, imaginary friend (I really am that cool)... let me tell ya...

The initial reason I started solids at four months was because Nate started downing 50oz a day... And that's a lot! So, I thought he was ready for more. PLUS at his four month check up his doctor told me to start this little linebacker on something more than just formula... So like any doctor abiding citizen I listened. However, as it turned out, he wasn't ready.

Liz #1: How do you know he wasn't ready? Are YOU a doctor?

Liz #2: I wish... And I've learned that JUST because a doctor tells you something doesn't make it cold, hard truth. Nate only ate 50oz for a week. Growth spurt. After that week he was back down to 40ish oz a day. And he didn't show much interest in food. He seemed perfectly content with his baba...

#1: So what changed?

#2: Pretty much the ONLY thing that changed was his interest in food. At four months he was showing all the regular "ready" signs except for one: INTEREST. And, mommies, it's a big one. I noticed him staring me down while I was eating about two weeks ago. So today we tried solids again after taking a month-ish hiatus and VOILA! Baby Nate liked it!

Pre-carrots... So very nice and clean...

Hmmm... This stuff is GOOD! I see it there in your hands... Come on... Moooore... I'm going to get whiny...

Look, I'll just do it myself... Clearly you don't understand the term "Faster."

Yep, that's Nate trying to feed himself. Every time I put that spoon in front of his face those little hands tried to grab it. And clearly succeeded. So, solids are back on.

... And before I start interviewing myself again, I will end it there. Mmmmmmmm carrots!

Splashing 101

2010-10-09T17:44:00.004-05:00

Big Boy Nate

2010-10-08T08:48:00.005-05:00

Mr. Nate Johnson has reached another milestone! On Wednesday night (10/6) I noticed that his gums looked a little different. (I've been monitoring them for a month now ever since I suspected teething). And sure enough... He cut his first tooth! I "bet" Marc that he'd cut his first toofer by 5 months... BUT that little stinker had to wait until he was 5 months, 2 days to make it's debut. Figures. SOO, of course, I had to get a picture of his new sparkly whites:

Four words: Harder than it sounds.

... And this was how he was acting the night he cut his first tooth. NOT at all what I expected. It really seems like those little buggers caused more pain working their way up to the surface than actually breaking though! Please excuse my dorkiness... Isn't he so much fun?!?

Cutting teeth makes one little boy very snuggly! Ever since we started sleep training he goes to sleep the best in his crib. So I live it up when he wants to snuggle with Momma.

I'm SOOO glad this hasn't been an awful experience for him. Hopefully all of his teeth cut this smoothly. Only time will tell. Until then Nate and Monte will just be chillin', lookin' out the window, being one thing that they both just can't help being... Cute.

On 5-month-old babies and conference

2010-10-05T14:12:00.011-05:00

Well, it's that time again... Another month older, another month cuter and another month smarter too. I know I've said it a thousand times but these babies just grow so fast. But, in my 5 months experience as a mommy, I've realized I love each new stage more than the last. Yes, tiny, cuddly newborns are so so SO sweet, but I absolutely love watching Nate grow, his personality develop and the way he progressively learns and interacts with the world around him. And we think he is just about as awesome as they come.

So cute in his little Halloween getup! Those Frankenstein socks were in the dollar section at Target. The dollar section= genius. It's always a stop I make when I go to Target. Anyway... A ton hasn't changed from last month. He still sits and rolls like a champ. He's still the sweetest little boy on the planet. He's still so easy to make smile and laugh. I'd say the biggest development this month has been how much his personality is developing. He's so aware of everything around him (especially when mommy leaves the room) and he's becoming very curious about everything... Especially faces. He'll grab the glasses right off of ya.

However, with sitting up comes this. He tries to sit up in his car seat all the time. And when he falls asleep his poor, little head falls all the way forward. I guess he's comfortable though. But it makes mommy a little worried.

... And an example of how he likes to grab things. Monte has learned to keep his distance because when Nate gets ahold of his fur it is on! We're still working on "nicely."

Nate is also still teething, and he loves sucking on that lip. Oye. His little toofers are RIGHT under the skin... You can feel the sharp edges when you rub your finger on his gums. He has his grumpy moments but he's getting through this stage pretty painlessly. I say that now... Wait until they decide to cut through. I may be singing a different tune.

This past weekend was also Nate's first conference! And doesn't he just look so darn excited? Yep, he's precious. We had plans to spend conference weekend with the Dallas fam, but one of our nephews got sick. Boo. So we watched it from home while enjoying treats and BBQ chicken, corn on the cob and taters. Yum.

Our "ever-so-professional" family portrait. Marc and I were both in our jammies all day. And the lack of make-up and unfixed hair doesn't look great on me. Wait, why am I even posting this picture? Maybe because I haven't posted an actual "family" picture in awhile... Or maybe even ever? Eh... Well there you have it. Glamorous.

And here's daddy and Nate watching general conference together (a bi-annual gathering of the leaders of our church). I've always loved conference but this one took on new meaning. I take my role as a mother very seriously... Always questioning whether I'm doing okay, asking myself at the end of the day how I did, what kind of example I set etc... I know at difference times of your life you pay attention to what is pertinent to you. E.g. When Marc and I were dating and newly married we were really inspired by the morality and marriage talks. Now that we have Nate we are both so inspired and aware of the family messages. Elder Larry R. Lawrence gave a wonderful talk on courageous parenting that I really took to heart. He said there are five things we can do as a family to ensure our children remain happy, healthy and faithful: family prayer, family home evening, family scripture study, family dinner and one-on-one interviews with each of our children. He said:

"Try to imagine what the rising generation could become if these five righteous patterns were practiced consistently in every home. Our young people would be like Helaman's army: invincible."

It is so simple, yet the outcome is amazing. I'm so grateful for the counsel and guidance that conference brings. It's like an uplifting boost that inspires me to be grateful, be happier, be better. All of these traits are choices. We choose to be grateful. We choose to be happy. And we choose to be the best people we can be. I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for that choice.

And then it was dinner and bedtime. Another conference passed, another day older, and another opportunity to thank our Lord in Heaven for all the blessings we have.

"While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways." - President Thomas S. Monson

Just because he's precious...

2010-09-29T20:43:00.006-05:00

I've had a rough couple of days. But then I see this little man drooling on the couch, and I see his precious smiling face gleaming back at me and suddenly everything becomes a-okay. Yep... We're going to be just fine.

Fall is here (at least for now)

2010-09-27T12:35:00.013-05:00

I need to state one thing for the official record...

I, Elizabeth Johnson, do hereby declare to LOVE the fall and everything that comes with it. I love the cooler weather, the holiday baking, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the smell of cinnamon spice candles burning all. the. time, open windows with a fresh breeze blowing through, not having the a/c running ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY... And the list goes on. Plus, the fall leads to Christmas... And who doesn't love Christmas?

And this year's fall is extra special. This is Nate's first fall and all of his first holidays. And I'm thinking that's what makes the fall so dadgum special to me. It's all so family centered. The fondest memories I have as a child are centered around the fall and holidays. And I hope to make this time of year just as special and memorable for my little chicklets.

SO, today is really the first day of the year that it's felt like fall. The weather is AMAZING and I'm loving and soaking up every little bit of it. Right now it is 72 degrees and will get down to 55 degrees tonight. Heaven.

So, wanting to take advantage of said nice weather by getting out of the house, Nate called up daddy and invited him to lunch at Cheddars. Apparently he made him an offer he couldn't refuse because daddy didn't hesitate in saying yes. And it was sooo exciting for me (pathetic, I know) to put Nate in his first, little jacket. A swim team jacket nonetheless... Yep, he's awesome.

And here we are at lunch... Daddy sporting the cheesy grin as usual. I hope this beautiful weather is here to stay because the fall in Texas is bliss. Maybe, just maybe, we won't have to move back to Colorado.

(All claims are subject to the terms and conditions of Liz Johnson and approval :/of Marc Johnson... aka big daddy).

You are what you eat

2010-09-25T17:53:00.005-05:00

Don't you even think about it sweet boy.

Babies, Baptisms, and Blasted Car Seats

2010-09-24T19:54:00.013-05:00

I think people in our home ward may be starting to wonder where we are!! Can you tell we travel quite a bit? This past weekend we went to visit Nate's grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and a ton of extended family at Marc's cousin's baptisms. It was a BUSY weekend... But busy is right up our alley. And visiting family is always fun. We eat yummy home cooked food (sometimes with expired toppings... lol), play games and chat it up. Oh yes, and nap. I can't forget nap. Everyone wasn't there, but we can't wait to see the rest of ya at Thanksgiving and Christmas!

In one corner we have Nate accompanied by his black and grey car seat. In the other corner we have mommy and daddy... I mentioned in an earlier post that Nate isn't particularly a fan of his car seat. For anyone keeping track... Scoreboard Nate and carseat.

This is right before bed on Saturday night. He is playing with his cousin, Abby. You can tell by his expression that he's thinking, "But moooom, I don't want to play with girrrls." Yes, drawn out just like that. How do I know this? Well, duuuhhhh... Moms know everything.

Abby is Marlee and Paul's (Marc's younger brother) baby girl. She's precious. We've gotten really close with Paul and Marlee over these past 6 months. Kids will bring ya together! And I sure am glad. Marlee is one of my really good friends... So thanks Nate and Abby!

Nate playing with one of the cutest nephews in the whole, wide world. Jake is Sandee (Marc's older/only sister) and Jenner's youngest son... He'll be FIVE in December. It's craziness I tell ya. He was younger than Nate when I first met him. And Sandee is also one of my BESTEST friends in the whole, wide world. Definitely a sista from another mista. And I've always wanted an older sister. :)

CUTE, CUTE, CUTE, CUTE, CUTE, CUTE, CUTE, CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!!!!! Enough said.

And, of course, a shot of Nate in the Mother's Lounge. He was being a stinker... and wanted to play, not eat. Surprise, surprise.

Then after church we stayed and ate dinner at the church (this is cousin Josh and Nate playing after dinner in the gym) and then headed further north to the stake center for Noah and Tyler's baptisms. It's such a cool thing to be there when these children decide to get baptized. Then we played some games at Sandee and Jenner's casa and then headed back to Marc's parent's house for the night. Then, we woke up on Monday and headed home... With Nate... In the car seat. Sigh...

Scoreboard Nate and car seat.

Friendship

2010-09-22T13:14:00.004-05:00

"I talk to him when I'm lonesome like, and I'm sure he understands. When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands. Then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat. For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that."

W. Dayton Wedgefarth

Playtime

2010-09-17T15:55:00.002-05:00

Playtime... Nate style:

SOO ticklish!

Man I'm pooped... Playing sure takes it out of ya!

Our little Nemo

2010-09-15T15:09:00.003-05:00

When we were in San Antonio Nate also swam for the first time! One thing that's fun about being a new parent is trying all these "firsts" with your babies. Nate is one laid back dude so all his firsts have been really enjoyable. He didn't even flinch when we put him in the water... Just looked around.

(I still think daddy and son look JUST alike)

Earlier in the summer I didn't buy a swimming suit for Nate (Didn't really think we'd use it)... So by August when I was finally getting around to shopping for one in anticipation for this trip, everywhere was sold out. Boo. So no swim trunks, but I did get him the little wet shirt. Hee hee, sooo cute. I mainly got it for the sun since you're not supposed to put sunscreen on infants younger than 6 months... But, let's be honest, I also got it because it is so gosh darn cute. He looks like a little surfer in it.

CHUBBY LEGS! The one time in life when cubby legs are cute. All the ladies were coming up to Nate and wanting to squeeeeze those thighs.

Here's MY momma holding our little Nemo... It was a fun experience, and I can't wait until next summer when he'll be old enough to splash around. Firsts are so much fun.

Crime

2010-09-14T12:36:00.002-05:00

The unsuspecting victim:

The culprit:

The weapon:

Nate's hands, with the spoon, in the kitchen. And note to self: If you give a baby a spoon to play with, they WILL stick it down their throat, gag, and scare the living daylights out of you. So beware... The seemingly innocent weapon comes in a variety of sizes and colors, and the culprit is so darn cute you wouldn't suspect the crime. Beware.

Big News!

2010-09-13T18:37:00.007-05:00

Guess what?? I'm prego!!!

Hah. Just kidding!

No, Nate is 4 months old!!!

And let me just say... WHAT THE HECK? Where is the time going?!?!?! I BLINK and my newborn is FOUR MONTHS OLD! It's crazy people. Just crazy.

Nate had his 4 month checkup on Friday. And with baby checkups comes more baby shots. Boo to shots. Luckily they went a whole heck of a lot better than his 2 month ones. Apparently that's pretty normal. After his 2 month shots he was inconsolable for a couple hours after. Eventually the only thing that worked to calm him down was snuggling and feeding him in a warm bath. Luckily this time around he was just a little grumpy, but nothing bad at all! PHEW.

4 month stats:

18.4 lbs- 90th percentile

26.5 in- 90th percentile

The doctor joked that he thinks he'll see his name in 20 years in the sports section. Yep... He's definitely our little linebacker! There is such a difference in a 3 and 4 month old baby. At three months old he was still very newbornish. Now he has learned so many new things. He rolls over, pushes up on his hands, and SITS:

(KISSES! Monte hasn't quite learned that it's not appropriate to french kiss our son. OYE!)

(Pretty normal- more interested in that dadgum TV!)

Like a champ too! He'll eventually topple over but he can maintain his balance for quite some time. It's really funny because about two weeks ago he really started to work on sitting up. Every time we laid him on his back he would try and try and try to sit. He looked like a little, Buddah- man trying with all his might to do a sit up.

So here are some "fun facts" about our future Aggie starter:

- He started on solids 3 days ago and so far so good! He's still learning the whole swallowing thing:

(First time on solids... And holy bed-head)

- As you can see he is suffering from male pattern baldness. Sigh.

- He LOVES the TV. Which is a little stressful for mommy because I am constantly turning his head away. In the morning I put on Playhouse Disney so it's not so quiet around here, but only let him catch glimpses of it. He can listen to his hearts content though!

- Like I mentioned earlier he can roll over, push up on his hands, and sit up unassisted.

- He smiles and laughs ALL the time. Often you just need to make eye contact with him and he'll cheese it up.

- I think he has started to teethe.

- He's sleeping 12 hours at night and takes 3-4 naps a day.

- He still loves his stroller and going on walks.

- His jumper is his new favorite toy.

- His burp rag, "Mr. Burpy," is never far away. He snuggles with it all. the. time.

- He soothes himself to sleep really well now!

- He prefers to be sitting or standing... Mainly just being upright and looking around.

- He laughs so hard when we tickle him. ESP right after a bath when we're drying him off. For some reason he thinks that's hilarious.

- He still loves that bathtub. Even if he is being mega grouchy he smiles in the tub.

- He's quite the talker. Pretty much all day long too. If he's not talking it's pretty unusual. He even talks himself to sleep.

- He is already in 6 month clothes.

- He's a good, little traveler.

- He loves momma and dadda, but he pouts whenever a stranger holds him. He doesn't really cry, just sticks out that bottom lip. It's PRECIOUS. But it doesn't take him long to warm up.

- He can grab toys really well... And they go straight to his mouth.

- DROOL. enough said.

- He swam for the first time in San Antonio.

- He likes bookies. Especially the textured ones.

- He's going through a phase where he thinks his car seat is the devil. It started when he started sitting up. But in the car seat he is strapped down and that ticked him off. It made the San Antonio road trip a little questionable.

He's our pride and joy. His daddy is completely SMITTEN with him (as am I). Every day Marc comes home, gives me a kiss, washes his hands and plays with Nate. If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times... I'm SO amazingly, incredibly, and astoundingly lucky and blessed.

On the Road Again...

2010-09-12T18:05:00.011-05:00

So, I'm sick today.

Good points about being sick: husband takes care of you, makes you whatever you want to eat, and lets you nap while he tends to the tooter.

Bad points: well, duh, you're sick. So all the previously mentioned "good" points cannot really be enjoyed to their fullest potential. And the worst part? When you're sick on a Sunday you don't get to be uplifted and it kinda throws your whole week off. Sigh. O to the Well.

Anyway, since we've been home all day, and I'm bored of watching movies, I thought I would share our Labor Day fun!

My parents came back down from Colorado to see us. And by "us," I mean Nate. Yup... cold, hard truth. But, hey, we'll take what we can get! When they came down the last time (refer to the "Nate's First Vacation" post) we took them to San Antonio. And we apparently made believers out of them... Because when they were planning this trip they said, "forget about boring, old College Station. Let's party it up in good ole SA." So folks, that's exactly what we did.

September 4, 2010 (exactly 4 months old!)... And rockin' the baby cap. Checking out the hotel room before heading to din din. Our rooms were right next to each other again which was really nice.

My parents are extremely laid back. So when we go places we really just relax, visit a few of the sites, shop and eat. Which I'm all for. We went back to Landry's again to get down on some of that awesome crab and lobster.

Nate on the River Walk... And doesn't the tooter just look enthused? Unfortunately my parents flew into SA on Saturday and flew out on Monday so we didn't have a ton of time with them. SO on Saturday when they flew in we went to dinner. On Sunday we woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel (The Hotel Contessa, which I highly recommend), went shopping, went back to the hotel to take a nap, went to dinner, went swimming and went to bed. Then they flew out Monday morning. Boo. So Marc, Nate and I headed to the San Antonio Zoo on our way home.

Nate and daddy looking at the bears. The zoo was a lot of fun. Nate loves his stroller, so he just chilled and looked around the whole time.

You can't really tell but there's a giant snake right next to/ behind Nate. The glass didn't disappear so I guess we don't have a Harry Potter in the family. Too bad. ;)

He snuggled with his burp rag for the entire duration of the zoo. We tried to take it away for a couple of the pictures but that ticked. him. off. Don't mess with Nate.

Precious! The two MOST handsome boys ever. Sorry ladies... I've got #1 and #2! ;)

Haha... This picture CRACKS me up. You need to enlarge it if you can. Oh man, I was laughing so hard.

POOPED! This is us leaving the zoo... Nate got a new friend from the gift shop (Note how he's STILL holding on to Mr. Burpy), and we all had a lot of fun. I LOVE family trips like this. Next big trip? Colorado in January. Think we can survive an airplane? If Nate has Mr. Burpy then yes, yes we can. :)

Road Less Traveled

2010-09-08T12:54:00.011-05:00

"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost

I'm feeling particularly grateful today.

I wake up knowing I have food in my cabinets, a roof over my head, clean water to drink, hot water to take a shower, indoor plumbing, an extended family, loving friends, good books to read.

I wake up seeing my husband laying next to me every morning... A husband who does everything in his power to make me happy. Not just satisfied... Happy. A husband who works so hard to take care of us. A husband who looks at me and I can literally feel the love he has for me. A husband who I can tell ANYTHING to and it is always received with love. A husband who cracks me up every day. A husband who I can't wait to hug, kiss and just be close to. A husband who is my best friend. A husband that I can just sit with, without words, and feel at home. A husband who I am completely in love with.

I greet the day by going into the nursery to see my little miracle smiling up at me. A miracle that has completely stolen my heart. My monument in this world. A gift from God. A son who I still can't believe I get to be the mother to.

I open my eyes every morning knowing the truth of the restored Gospel. Without even thinking about it I know my Heavenly Father loves, cares and has mercy for me. I know Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for me. Why? Because he LOVES me and wants me to be with him again. I know that through him I can heal from the bad and embrace the good. Because of him I have the spirit that warms my heart every. single. moment. of every. single. day.

I am grateful every day for those missionaries that persisted to help me realize the truth of the Gospel when I was 17 years old. I'm grateful for their selfless service. If it wasn't for that decision... That choice... That opportunity... That leap of faith to accept what I already knew to be true, I wouldn't have any of this.

And, I'm grateful for the road less traveled. There are many roads for us all to take. Many decisions we encounter. Many outcomes that are possible. But I'm grateful for THIS one. THIS road. THIS life.

To all the new pregos

2010-09-02T21:26:00.009-05:00

Things I wish I would have known about pregnancy and babies:

1. Like stretch marks? Doesn't really matter. Most likely you will get them. Enough of them to name them after ALL the kids in "The Sound of Music." Maybe more. Or you could name them cheeseburger, ice cream, oreo, fried chicken... You pick your poison.

2. Your body will decide to go in a new, swollen direction for awhile. Don't try to persuade it to stay it's cute self. It will just laugh in your face, and then make your feet, legs and hands look like they'll explode. Basically, let's just say it's a good thing I'm married... Because squishy and puffy don't suit me... Neither does the giant boo-tay.

3. If you gain 6 or, ahem 9, pounds in one month, just blame it on water weight. Seriously. It gets you off the hook. And if your doctor is male and gives you a hard time tell him no uterus, no opinion.

4. Nausea? Medication. The good stuff. Enough said.

5. Try to find someone you are comfortable with to look... somewhat ridiculous in front of. Because when you can't bend over to put on your delicates you'll need someone to help, and not judge.

6. If you have dignity, enjoy it while it lasts. Once that kid decides to come out, ALL dignity is lost. Hopefully you're not friends with any of the nurses, because dang. That would be hard to recover from.

7. Sleepless nights are harder than they sound. Mentally prepare for them. No, really. If you pass up this advice you will pay for it later. I'm speaking from experience.

8. Once you have kids you are automatically out of room. 2, 3, 4 bedrooms, I don't care. These tiny people come with a lot of stuff.

9. Prepare yourself and your husband for the baby blues. If you don't think you will be affected by them then you are the prime victim. The baby blue's speciality? The sneak attack. And if you find yourself so sad for no reason... Give me a call. Been there done that. I'm here for ya babe.

10. When you experience engorgement, you know... the feeling of having your chest slammed in a car door? Praise the Lord... Because that means the little, cutie pie in your arms will stop screaming because they finally have something to eat! And my advice? Take formula from the hospital. Because when a baby is screaming and you don't have any milk... Hell.

And.......... Drumroll.............................................................

11. Get ready for the most amazing experience of your life. Remember to soak in the first time you see your baby. There is nothing like it. And know that through all of the questionable prego moments, IT IS SO WORTH IT. Going through all of that gets you this:

And there is no joy like the joy of having a child. Because the stretch marks, the giant back end, the endless throwing up, the huge, puffy, clown feet, the loss of dignity, the baby blues, the sore tatas and the sleepless nights are the most beautiful things in the world... They are the way to your little piece of Heaven. (But you can still retain your prego right to complain and whine... preferably to your husband. They like it. ;)

Playground Love

2010-09-02T10:21:00.008-05:00

I wanted to share a quick story about my sweet niece Poet. If you go back through all the old posts you'll see she's Mary's, my little sister's, little girl. She is now 2 1/2 years old and such a smart, little cookie. She already knows her ABC's, she can count to 30, she's potty trained, knows all her colors, can recite poems... My sister said she just can't keep up with her! So she is now officially a pre-schooler. She is in a class with 4 1/2 year-olds! She's 2 1/2! This is a picture of her all ready to go to school:

Freaking adorable, right?!? Anyway, apparently there was a sad, little girl on the playground the other day. Miss Poet saw her, went up to her, and said, "You miss your mommy? Don't worry, she'll always come back." Awwww! She's TWO AND A HALF people! What a precious creature!

Umm... Hello!?! Graduation!?!

2010-09-01T21:54:00.005-05:00

So, I realized I never posted about what happened with graduation! Well, I finished the last final of my final semester at TAMU the day before we had Nate. Talk about pressure. But, now that all is said and done, I'm extremely grateful I finished up prior to having him. It would have been real tough going to school with little to no sleep in me. I took 19 hours... 15 at TAMU, and 4 at Blinn. I took a Bio II at Blinn, but ended up taking an 'I'ncomplete so I could focus on passing my classes at A&M, which were my priority. I finished that Blinn class over the summer... I really only had a couple tests and some homework assignments to finish, so it wasn't bad.

Now, I didn't walk in May for a couple reasons: 1). It was only 10 days after my Csection and I wasn't exactly in the mood to get all prettied up. Shoot, I still need Marc's help putting on my chones. And 2.) I really didn't want to take Nate out that early, but also did not want to leave him with anybody. But, I did make Marc go and pick up my Aggie ring. WHOOP! The Aggie Ring is serious business people... It's what we all aim for. It's what we spend days dreaming about. The prospect of it is what gets us through endless study sessions and tests. We are, in fact, obsessed. And I'm LOVING having it. So, the verdict was I would just walk in December... With Marc!!!

And speaking of the handsome devil... Tuesday was his last first day of school! Go Marc! Let me tell ya... This guy has been working his butt off for the past 4 years in and out of the classroom. He has been going to school FULL time and working OVER full time. Yes, he is hardcore. But, alas, his time for rejoicing is near! This is his last semester and he's only going part time to finish off his remaining classes. I made him pose for a cheesy, first day of school picture. He is, if you didn't already know, quite the dork. But, hey... That's why I married him! So, stay tuned for graduation pics in December!

Such a special day

2010-08-30T21:27:00.007-05:00

Ah Sundays... Oh how I love them. I love feeling uplifted, I love having Marc home, and I love me a pure family day full of good food, movies and games. I love them even more now that we have the Nater bug. However, getting to church on time with a baby is definitely a challenge... (And we've never really been super punctual... something we're working on). Nate doesn't seem to mind though... His normal Sunday routine is as follows:

Wake up, drink some milky, and have a little play time while momma runs around like a maniac taking a shower, drying/straightening hair, putting on makeup etc... Marc and I seem to have a pretty good weekend routine going on. He wakes up on Saturday mornings and lets me sleep in. And I wake up on Sundays and let him sleep in... It works out really well for us. Especially since I'm normally the one picking out the boogs' clothes, combing his hair, packing the diaper bag etc... And lately I've been into crock pot dinners on Sunday (super low maintenance) so I also throw all the stuff in the pot before we head to church. A lot to get done before 10:45 when we head, er... plan to head, to church.

He's loving this jumper (I think that's what they're called). One of my friends, Delilah, gave us this awesome contraption and Nate loves it! He likes to be up and looking around.

Then, once we finally make it to church, he is normally ready for a nap. He usually sleeps through sacrament and then he's ready for a baba during second hour. Here he is chilling with mommy in the mother's lounge. I LOVE the mother's lounge. I love the rockers, I love that it's nice and quiet, and I love chatting it up with all the other mommas.

This past Sunday was the first Sunday Marc took him during Priesthood. He finished his bottle really fast so I actually caught a good duration of Relief Society (something that doesn't happen often). It ran over a little bit so I got a text from Marc telling me to come to the gym... He was putting the chairs away (wasn't holding Nate), so I look to the stage and see the tooter PASSED out. He stayed asleep all the way home and slept for about 30 more mins in his crib.

Then, it's time for lunch! Nate loves lunch... It makes the world such a wonderful place. Note the cute blanket he's sportin'... My SIL, Beth, made it for Nate and I LOVE it! One day I will be able to sew that good. I'm a work in progress.

I love how he holds his little hands. It's so cute. I'm going to miss when he's not solely bottle fed... My baby is growing up so fast!

Then, it's bath... Daddy normally does bath time on Saturdays and Sundays since he never gets to do them during the week... And you can always count on Nate to love bath time... He's our little fish.

And then it's movie time with the family! Actually it's baba time, but he gets to watch the movie while he's getting burped. Haha, they both look so into it. We were watching "Ant Bully," a cute kiddo movie, and Nate was quite intrigued. Then, once Nate went to sleep, Marc and I partied it up by playing Super Mario Bros Wii... We got it for Christmas last year, but just recently started playing it again. If you don't have it, get it. It's the bomb.com.

Ahhh... Just another week until Sunday. Think I can wait? Such a special day.

So much to blog about, so little time

2010-08-27T13:37:00.014-05:00

(The following is why I need to post more often. Holy pictures.)

It seems like we have been go, go, go for the last couple months. And we really have! Here are a couple things we have been up to lately...

At around three months we started sleep training. Nate would only nap if he was being held. Like so:

Once he fell asleep on us we'd attempt to lay him down. However, whether it was in his crib, couch or even swing his eyes would shoot wide open. Unless, of course, I tricked him into thinking he WAS being held...

Muahaha! Such a clever momma. ;) However, in attempts to keep the trickery at bay, we decided to teach him how to self sooth. Now, I know with any issue on raising kiddos, people have differing opinions on whether or not to do this. But, for us, it was one of the best decisions we have made as parents thus far. This is a picture of the very FIRST time he put himself to sleep.

I thought it was a miracle! Note the damp hair from all the sweat... He screamed for 40 mins, which was a hellacious ordeal. But he now goes down for naps and bed without a fight. He may whine for a little bit (couple of mins), but usually just lays his head down and knows it's night night time. Victory!

Nate has also had quite a few "firsts" to mention... These two pictures are of the very first birthday party he went to! Anna, our friends Michelle and Daniel's baby girl, turned one! Nate is into older women. ;)

This is of the first time daddy gave Mr. Nate a bath!

And... The first time (and last) we went to a movie with the little man. Which, by the way, didn't go as one would have hoped. But, as you can see, he was enthralled by the loud, giant, moving picture.

Nate also got to meet Miss Sidney, one of my best friend's new baby girl, for the first time! Beth lives north of Dallas, so it was also the first time Nate and I adventured out on our own without daddy. I HATE driving in big cities, so my knuckles were white for a good duration of the trip. Cutie Nate did great though!

On the way up we stopped to surprise Grandma Johnson at work since she has been away all summer and she hasn't seen Nate since the blessing weekend.

Here are the two precious little ones. Sidney was TINY! I didn't know what to do with a baby that small. She was 7.11 lbs when we were there. That was the weight Nate was when we left the hospital, but I sure do not remember him being that small. This is the difference 10 pounds makes in babies. Nate is a linebacker compared to her!

Going shopping! Nate is more concerned with his light-up mirror than with the girl sitting next to him. Attaboy Nate! I hope that lasts! ;)

On my way home from Dallas we stopped and had a lunch date with two of my fabulous SILs. Here are Abigail and Nate playing on the floor. Abby is a little shy of three months older than Nate but Nate is almost just as big!

Then, after leaving Sandee's we stopped by the in laws house for yummy Johnson tacos. Here Nate is getting a bath in Grammy's sink. I think he looks SOOO much like me in this picture.

Marc had this waiting for me when I came home. He is such a sweet husband. Call us old fashioned, but we don't like being away from each other. ;) So, it was VERY nice to be home again. We love traveling though, and we want to get Nate used to the car and being on the go. We are usually away about two weekends out of the month and so far so good!

Here's the first time we took him to the doctor for something other than a Well Baby visit. He started eating much less than he normally does. He's been a big eater since birth... And he was eating about 40 oz a day... But lately he has wanted less than 35... Sometimes even 30. So, like any paranoid mommy, I was worried and we took him in. Everything checked out and they said that baby's diets fluctuate often and it's nothing to worry about. He was 3 months 3 weeks at this appt and he weighed 17 lbs, 10 oz. And he was 26 1/4 inches tall. 90th percentile for both!

Nate also rolled over for the first time! In his crib... and I missed it. ;( Daddy caught it first hand though! He's also perfecting the art of tummy time. And it's about time too! This kid has hated tummy time since day one!

On a sadder note, baby Nate has started to lose his precious, thick, baby hair. The above picture is how thick it was at birth. And now it looks like this:

Haha, disregard the fabulous bed head... But you can really tell it's thinning out. If I do a comb-over it disguises it fairly well, but alas his beautiful hair is becoming no more. :( And from the looks of it it is growing back blond. Only time will tell.

That about wraps it up with the "firsts." Other things to note this past month or so...

This is how the tooter fell asleep...

And this is how we found him when we went in his room in the morning. What a weirdo.

Playing with daddy before church! This was the Sunday Marc talked in Sacrament. I always love it when he talks. He's always so sincere and genuine and you can tell he wholeheartedly loves the Gospel. He got to choose a principle from the last Conference Ensign and he talked about eternal families. I'm so lucky and blessed to have found this man. He takes such good care of us.

Playing with daddy again!

He's such a goofball on the changing table... This picture cracks me up!

I tell ya... Once Nate hit three months he totally woke up and has been so happy, talky, smiley and giggly ever since! He talks to everything all the live long day! It's almost like he's having a conversation with you, his toys, his feet, the tv or anything else that gets in his way (facial expressions and all). It's so funny.

More of my happy man!

I've just been loving being a mommy. I never thought I could love this much. It's incredible. He is my little sunshine, my greatest accompishment, my heart, and my life. Words cannot express how blessed I am by having him in my life! I'll try to keep up with posts a little better, so next post there isn't a flood of photos!

‎"And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me." Matt 18:5

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

2010-08-13T11:36:00.009-05:00

I've been struggling with rising above lately. There have been a couple of things bothering me, and it seems easier to let these things bother me than try to rise above them. Ultimately; however, what is easiest is often also the cause of unhappiness.

For example: I feel like I go out of my way to be nice, generous and friendly to particular people, and they return none of the same sentiments. It's so frustrating because I see other people act the same way I do (friendly, generous etc...) to these people and their sentiments are returned to them. Sometimes even directly in front of my face (e.g. - a gift given to them but not to me for the same occasion... But right in front of my face. Like I was intentionally being left out). I find it so rude and hurtful. I can't cut them, or the negativity they bring, out of my life, so what do I do? Do I deal with feeling disrespected and continue to act the same that I have been acting... Being generous, friendly, trying to build a relationship even though it's obvious these people aren't going to do the same? Or do I stop doing what I'm doing... Stop making the effort, and let them get the best of me?

Obviously, the "right" answer, at least for me, is to rise above, to be a better person than they, and to deal with the disrespect. But that is so much easier said that done, because when feelings are hurt and things are taken to an emotional level those heart bones that get broken are so hard to repair. But that's what Christ would do... He would continue to serve and to love... And hope that one day they would love him in return... So all I, and all who have been, are in, or will find themselves in this situation, can do is pray for strength. Because holding that grudge, maintaining that anger and hurt is only affecting you. You are poisoning yourself.

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." -Maya Angelou

I have noticed a similar predicament to mine in a dear friend's life. (The following is Liz on her soapbox)... I just want to say shame on all the people out there that are mean to less fortunate, different or weak people, and then suddenly become nice to them when they become successful. Again, I don't want to name names, but this dear friend of mine had a difficult time in high school... People were not anxious to be her friend. I heard and saw what kids said and did behind her back. NOW that this person is successful, the same, yes SAME, people that didn't give a darn about this wonderfully beautiful, strong and smart woman are suddenly trying to befriend and build a relationship with her. Is it to mooch off of her? Possibly. Are people automatically attracted to the successful and accomplished? Definitely. But it is one thing to be allured by wealth, success and popularity, than to attempt to befriend the now successful person that, in youth, you tormented. It's shameful... absolutely shameful.

But she is a lesson to the hurt and broken. She is brilliant, kind and loving. She has sympathy and empathy for all. She has one of the biggest hearts, and she is, without a doubt, a surviver. I love you... You are my inspiration to keep fighting.

"You may write me down in history,

With your bitter and twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt,

But still, like dust, I'll rise." - Maya Angelou

A Man's... Er... Little Boy's Best Friend

2010-07-28T21:39:00.004-05:00

I foresee a lifelong friendship between these two.

Bath Time!

2010-07-21T13:15:00.004-05:00

Every time we give Nate a bath he makes this face when we first put him in... And it cracks us up every time! He's 6 weeks in these videos...

What? More Pictures? Surprise, Surprise

2010-07-21T11:23:00.006-05:00

What's new? Not a whole lot. Just staying busy doing the mommy thing, and taking a ridiculously large amount of pictures of this little dude:

All handsome and ready for church. I can't help taking pictures on Sundays... Both of my boys looking all snappy in their church clothes.

However, this is how he feels sometimes about getting strapped into his car seat. Life is so rough sometimes.

What a little turkey

2.5 months!

Getting ready to go visiting teaching with mommy...

But not until we tame that crazy hair of yours!

He loved sitting in the warm, clean laundry... Monte normally does this. Every time we take the laundry out of the dryer, Monte immediately jumps in and lays down. When I put Nate in it this time Monte got jealous and jumped RIGHT on top of Nate. Good thing Monte is only 9 pounds.

Faux hawk... And looking good.

Our sweet neighbor gave us this outfit... It's a 0-3 month and he's already in 3-6 month so I had to hurry and put him in it so he'd have the chance to wear it. Pretty cute!

Playing with daddy

He's not a fan of pacifiers... But he is a fan of sucking on his hands or arm.

You're too cute chunky monkey!

Happy to Sad in 60 Seconds

2010-07-12T23:45:00.003-05:00

Nate is such a laid back kid. He doesn't cry for very many things. That's not to say that he doesn't cry. He definitely has a pair of lungs on him. He does cry for the normal stuff like when he's hungry, in pain, etc... But more recently he has started getting REALLY fussy when he's tired.

He has 4 very specific phases:

Phase 1 "Happy"- My happy, content, pleasant baby (The most enjoyable of all phases):

Phase 2 "The warning phase"- Once he starts rubbing his eyes it's all down hill... and you better buckle up:

Phase 3 "Grump-ola"- So very, very grouchy (The least enjoyable of phases):

And Phase 4 "That's better"- Fast asleep, peaceful, cuddly baby boy (The second most enjoyable of phases... Because lets face it... He is one cute kid. And I like to snuggle):

And if we have to go through phase 3 to get to phase 4 then it's definitely worth it.

2 months old!

2010-07-06T16:21:00.012-05:00

Has it been two months already?!? Absolutely crazy how fast these beautiful little babies grow up. I thought I'd share some facts/pictures of our handsome 2 month old baby boy!

- Weight: 13 pounds and 13 ounces! That is 5 pounds and 2 ounces heavier than his birth weight. What. A. Chunk.

- Length- 23 1/4

- He has been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks. It started around 7 hours and now at 10 weeks he's sleeping 9-10 hours a night. I HOPE it lasts!

- He is a GREAT eater! I'm talking 40 ounces a day great.

- He loves the bath and kicks like crazy when he's in the tub. It's hilarious. Maybe he'll follow in mommy's footsteps and become a swimmer?

- He smiles all the time and nothing melts my heart like his little grin. Holy precious.

- At 2 1/2 months he's already wearing 3-6 month clothes.

- He's starting to hold his head up better but hates tummy time. If we hold him in a sitting position on our lap he can hold his head up pretty well.

- He loves his stroller and loves to take walks.

- He doesn't mind Monte licking him All. Over. His. Face. But, mommy does.

- He already loves TV, and we have to literally turn his head away from it.

- He would rather be around mom and dad than play with toys. If he's being held then his world is wonderful.

- His personality is coming out, which is so much fun. He is a laid back and happy little boy.

- He still looks just like his daddy. Like whoa.

Good morning sunshine! He loves sitting in his green chair and looking out the window. More recently he likes to watch mommy do dishes. Very exciting stuff.

Right before church this past Sunday- 7/11/10

This was just last weekend when we brought lunch to daddy at work. For an extra special treat he had a massively dirty blowout diaper and had to have a complete head to toe "wipe" bath. Poop ends up in some crazy places... Poor mommy... But he always thinks it's pretty funny.

I love it when daddy plays with me.

I'm going to be an Aggie some day!

Mommy... you're so funny.

When daddy comes home I love to sit on his lap. He always gives me tons of hugs and kisses. He's pretty cool.

Here he is rocking some bed head.

Cheese!

Sometimes these cheeks just get in the way.

So, so sleepy!

Cute? Me? Yup.

LOVE this picture. Such a CUTE chunk of a baby. I just want to squeeze him all the time.

Life is pretty good. :)

Overall he is a wonderful baby. I know I'm his mother and biased and all, but seriously he makes this motherhood gig pretty dang easy. We ABSOLUTELY love having him as part of our family. He has brought so much joy to our lives... We are truly blessed by him.

"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him." -Pablo Casals... We love you Nate! Happy 2 months my sweet, sweet, little boy.

Happy 4th!

2010-07-06T15:57:00.006-05:00

We hope everyone had a great 4th! We sure did. Our plans were changed a little bit because our little man wasn't feeling great on Saturday (when we planned on going to Dallas). They always have a firework show in Midlothian that we missed. BIG bummer... :( But after sacrament on Sunday we headed to Dallas and had a nice, relaxing weekend with family. The food was delicious, and as always, the company was great.

Here are my two handsome boys.

And patriotic cupcakes I made that didn't quite make the car ride... Good thing they still taste good even if they aren't pretty. :) And thank you to all who serve/served/ or will serve our country. It's because of you that we are free. I'm so proud to be an American.

Nate's first Vacation

2010-07-06T13:18:00.010-05:00

Woah... It's been 3 weeks since my last post. Having an infant sure does keep you busy! But Nate is napping, therefore I shall give all my dedicated readers (all 5 of you haha) an update!

A couple weekends ago my parents came down from Colorado and we took a FUN trip to San Antonio. We stayed on the Riverwalk in the Hotel Contessa... and after doing it both ways (staying on and off the Riverwalk) staying on it is the only way to go. I was a little nervous about taking an actual trip with Nate and staying in a hotel but he did so good! I was afraid that staying in a new place would throw off his sleep habits (he's been sleeping about 7 hours straight at night since 6 weeks) but it didn't phase him! He even slept 8 hours straight one of the nights. Yes!

Here's Nate and daddy checking out the view from our hotel room.

And here's daddy feeding Nate before going out on the town. One thing that's WAY nice when traveling with kiddos... Large hotel rooms! It was nice putting Nate in the bedroom when he fell asleep so Marc and I could watch movies in the "living room."

We were only there Friday-Sunday so we didn't have time to do tons of stuff... Which actually worked in our favor. It made for a relaxing weekend. We did walk over to the Alamo, which my parents had never seen... A must when visiting San Antonio. It was HOT and crowded!

Which is why we had to get snow cones afterwards!

We also took the Riverboat tour. As you can see Nate was very attentive.

The tour took us right past our hotel.

Daddy and Nate resting up for dinner. The food was one of the BEST parts of the trip. We ate at Landry's and had some of the yummiest seafood ever, and also at Boudro's which have awesome steaks! Marc, my red-meat connoisseur of a husband, was in heaven.

Nate saying goodnight to Grandma. Their hotel room was directly next to us, which was nice because it gave us our own space while still remaining really close.

But Nate couldn't go to bed before a bath... He's gotten a little too big for the sink though. Our little Budda baby.

Breakfast right before we checked out. It was so much fun, and we can't wait to do it again! Big, big thanks to my parents! Miss and love you guys!

Nate's Blessing Weekend

2010-06-22T23:29:00.008-05:00

Nate's blessing was a couple weekends ago on June 13th! It was a fun, busy weekend and we had a lot of family come to share this day with us which was wonderful!

Here I am with my little man right before we headed to church. I come from a long line of Catholics, and for his blessing he wore his great grandfather's baptism gown. The first Viezbicke baby wore it in 1912, which makes it almost 100 years old! Some, I'm sure, think it's odd that I had him wear a gown for his blessing (considering he's a boy), but I thought it was a GREAT way to connect my family with this special day in his life. I also thought it was cool that he was the fourth generation to wear this special, little article of clothing.

Here's the Johnson clan plus my mom right after the blessing.

Some of Nate's cousins!

Daddy and Nate!

The blessing took a lot out of him, and he got a much needed nap afterwards!

After the blessing we had a family lunch. Thank you to everyone for bringing yummy food! Here are Marc and my mom getting the enchiladas ready.

Over the weekend we also celebrated Marc and Paul's (his brother) birthdays! Marc turned 26... he's getting close to 30. ;)

My SIL with my adorable niece, Abby!

The grandmas. :)

It was a great weekend, and we really appreciate everyone coming and supporting us! It was great to see Marc bless his son and it makes me so grateful that I have a husband who honors and respects the priesthood. If Nate turns out anything like his father he will be a great man. :)

Ummm... Why are you screaming?

2010-06-10T23:23:00.002-05:00

Marc's Mini Me

2010-06-07T17:52:00.005-05:00

I think everyone dreams about what their children will look like... I somewhat thought I would have blonde kiddos because, well, I'm blonde! But, we got something just a little different. All the better too! We got a baby with a head FULL of dark hair... I mean holy! It's the first thing everyone comments on when they see him... When we found out we were having a baby boy I was SOOO excited for many reasons, but one of them was I really wanted a little boy that looked just like his daddy. And, it turns out I got just what I wished for. And it's not just the hair...

Is that the same kid? Haha... Nope. Nate is on the left, Marc (in his blessing outfit) is on the right.

The bottom center picture is Marc, all the others are Nate. I promise it's my kid too! :) Good thing his daddy is cute! Haha :)

Our Miracle: Nate

2010-05-26T13:34:00.014-05:00

Truly amazing. Precious. The greatest gift. My little piece of Heaven... Absolutely miraculous.

I love being a mother. I look at my son and am forever grateful that Heavenly Father could trust us with such a beautiful, sweet, amazing child. This little creature in my arms is complete goodness, innocence, pure love, and I am so thankful that I get to be his mommy. Sometimes when I hold him I look down on his little face and just start to cry out of happiness because I feel so blessed... And soon I know he's not going to be this tiny, pink, wiggly baby, but a toddler, little boy, teenager and eventually a grown man. I'm already sad for the day he leaves home. I cherish and am thankful for all the moments we have.

Now, I know I am entirely late on all of this (he's a month old already) but here are some pictures from his birth... Everything went well, he is completely healthy and we enjoyed welcoming our miracle into the world. I'll never forget the look on Marc's face when he saw his son for the first time. Amazing.

Nathan Marc Johnson: Born May 4, 2010. 8 pounds, 11 ounces and 20 1/4 inches long.

Our first family picture

Our little Aggie

My loves

Holy hair, right? He looks just like his daddy... I'll post some pics of Marc as a baby here soon.

Our car ride home... So serious!

I have A LOT of blogging to do... So much has happened this past month!!! I will catch up I promise! But we are loving being a family of three and couldn't be happier. Nate brings so much joy and happiness to our lives and its so fun to watch him grow... It's also been such a pleasure to watch Marc as a father. He's amazing. It comes so naturally to him. Thank you again for all the well wishes and prayers!

Announcement

2010-04-27T17:18:00.002-05:00

There has been a change of plans... We will now be meeting our little man on May 4th, 2010 at 7am! Mommy and Daddy couldn't be more excited!

It's Getting Close!!!

2010-04-27T11:35:00.006-05:00

We found a glider and I LOVE it! It's really nice to have a supportive chair to sit in while I am this big. The couch and bed are comfortable for only so long, and the glider is perfect for reading. We actually have two quilts now (one in the crib and the other on the chair in the pic) because the one that was originally shipped had a small rip in it... So, I emailed them a pic of the rip, and they sent me another one but didn't want the original one back. Score. So we have two!

And as you can see from the picture below, Monte loves the glider and his soon-to-be brother. :)

Honestly, he reminds me of a jealous, older sibling who wants attention so they act like the baby. He gets into ALL the baby's stuff. He wants to lay in the swing, in the pack n play, in the crib, in my lap on the glider etc... He has issues. But I can't wait to see how he acts with the baby, and not just the baby's stuff.

Okay, I am overdue for a belly shot. Here is one from the side... 37 weeks:

[Ahh the beauty of photo editing. Note the sepia coloring... It hides some of my lovely "prego beauty marks" which are seriously taking on minds of their own].

I feel huge, and my doctor was kind enough to say that he thought it looked like I was carrying twins. Awesome. Way to make a fatty feel even more like a fatty.

And, here is my view! Hot dang, this kid is big. Last week I was 37 weeks but he measured 41, so my doctor ordered another ultrasound to get a good estimate of the baby's weight (which turned out to be 7.7 lbs). He then wanted to try some things that could possibly start labor naturally... aka membrane sweep (sorry tmi)... But during the exam he learned that I showed NO signs of labor. Then came the bomb... He told me that he only gave me a 5-10% chance of delivering the baby naturally. Based on my pelvis and my family history he said there was no way the baby could get out, and he recommends a C-section. Both my mom and little sister had C-sections after 20 hours of labor (and they are both VERY supportive of me getting one too). This news really bummed me out... It's not the ideal way to have a baby in my opinion, and surgery scares the heck out of me. But, alas, my odds of a natural birth stink, and after much prayer we are opting for the scheduled C-section. As of right now it is scheduled for May 6th... We have another appointment in a couple of hours to see if anything has changed and we will get the final date then. I'll post soon if anything changes.

And, yes, I am a dork... I know... I took this pic and sent it to Marc about a month ago (I think I was about 33-34 weeks). He made it the wallpaper on his iphone... haha. We're both getting sooo anxious!

Nursery

2010-04-02T19:19:00.003-05:00

Whew! We finally have his nursery all set up... and it was a LOT of work. Most of it stemmed from the unholy amount of crap we were storing. Seriously. But once we got rid of it all it was a lot of fun putting this room together.

Sandee and Jenner gave us the crib, changing table and a bunch of clothes, which was a huge help! I fell in love with this bedding. I really wanted a safari theme, but orange is the dominant color in most of the bedding we saw. We're Aggies, so orange was not exactly a color that we wanted a part of our son's room ;). Luckily we came across this bedding which incorporates a maroon color instead of orange. Ummm.... Holy perfect! I found those shelves at Hobby Lobby and painted them to match the bedding.

I wanted to get some really cute wall hangings that were part of this nursery collection but they were $25! No. Thank. You. So I went to Hobby Lobby, again, and found a few unpainted picture frames, some wooden animals (plus the ones I took off the diaper cake in the previous post), and some paint. Instead of $25 I made the frames for $6. Take that babysupermall.com!

It feels SOOO nice to have everything ready. The only thing we still need is a glider. We still have some searching to do for that one... So if you know of anywhere we can find a decently priced, comfy one, let us know!

"Liz, you really do have great friends."

2010-04-02T18:24:00.007-05:00

I have amazing friends and family... And that is an understatement. I was blessed to have three awesome showers, and instead of posting about them individually I decided to lump them all together into one, huge, mega post. Sorry for the extreme amount of photos that you are about to encounter...

Here's Lindsey, one of my besties making the food for my College Station baby shower. She and Beth threw this one... They are such amazing friends... More like sisters than anything else.

All the tasty food... In the back you can see the awesome cake (another close up pic to follow). Beth's SIL made it and did a great job!

This was my work shower. Delilah made that adorable diaper cake... Too cute! In the next post (nursery one coming soon) you'll recognize those little animals on the front on some pic frames I made.

Ahhh... the bottle sucking game. So, we had to suck 3-4 ounces of juice out of these bottles. NOT easy... Holy sore cheeks/tongue. Amy (the one on the left) came in victorious.

And here is the family shower that my awesome SIL, Sandee, threw for me up near Dallas.

Whenever I think about how I miss my family in Colorado, I just think about how awesome our family is here in Texas.

Haha... This was when we were playing a game and having the answers read to us. Look at that Santa Clause belly.

We also went to Babies R Us while we were in Arlington because we don't have one here in College Station. We were able to get a jogger (Marc and I are VERY antsy to start running again), car seat and some other baby necessities. Monte LOVED the jogger... As you can see.

It's been so much fun preparing for our little arrival. We have everything we need now, so all we have to do now is wait! Thanks again to everyone who made all these showers so much fun. You guys really are awesome, and we are so appreciative of all the generosity and love that has been shown to us! Marc even said as we were going through some of the loot from one of the showers, "Liz, you really do have great friends." And, it's so true. We are so blessed.

Emotional

2010-03-15T22:14:00.004-05:00

It seems like I've been so emotional lately. I'm not normally a crier but lately I'll cry at just about anything. Seriously- the other day a sentimental commercial made my eyes water. Anyway, I wanted to share this video. I love this song, and when I youtubed the video it brought me to tears. Not because what the song is about (although it does make me grateful to have such an amazing husband and father to my children), but because of the mother/son relationship in the video... I'm so ready to meet my little boy and have him in my arms.

A Crazy Week

2010-02-28T19:27:00.010-06:00

This week (29) has been eventful to say the least... To begin here is a picture of my hugeness...

Bam! Yeah... and I have 10 weeks to go. Awesome. Also this week we had a little scare. I started to have contractions and cramps fairly close together. So, we called my doc and he told us to come in right away. He did another ultrasound, and checked me (tons of fun) and everything was okay. The baby is growing and looks great. I, however, need to chill out a bit and start taking it a bit easier. We did get to see him again and got some more pics which is always welcomed. :)

Here is another picture of his face... This time at 29 weeks. He is such an active booger that it was hard to snap a clear picture of him but this one is pretty cute. Again, I can't wait to see him.

We also got a profile picture this time. At 27 weeks we didn't get a profile shot because he was face down. It's not completely clear, but we were at least able to see a rough profile.

Also a BIG thanks to Marc's parents for coming up this weekend to help set up baby furniture. We got the crib, bassinet and changing table all set up, and although his nursery is far from being done, it is coming together. :) Also a big thanks to my hubby... He pretty much does it all these days and is amazing. So blessed.

Big Boy!

2010-02-12T11:56:00.007-06:00

Yesterday we had our 27 week appointment. They did a glucose test as well as the last ultrasound before we meet our little dude... Which is good but sad. Good because time is flying by, but sad that we won't get to see his cute, little face for a couple of months. Everything went great!! My doctor said that the results of my glucose test were the best he'd seen in a long time, and our little boy is progressing wonderfully. According to the ultrasound he is weighing in at about 2.6lbs, and according to my fundal height he is measuring 31 weeks! That's a BIG boy. I asked if there was a particular reason he was so big and he basically said that he's in the 70 percentile at this stage, and normally babies level out near the end. If he continues with this growth, however, his birthday will be much sooner. :)

Here is his cute face. He was giving us a little smile, although I'm not sure you can tell from this picture. It's AMAZING how much he's grown and changed from our 20 week ultrasound. We did the ultrasound right after I drank the nasty sugar solution and he was definitely moving like crazy! The poor tech was trying to get measurements and he wouldn't hold still!

His little tootsies. Marc LOVES this picture. When she took this picture I noticed that it appeared he only had 4 toes... So she went back to count and sure enough he has 5... Ha ha...

He was laying face down so here we see his mouth and nose as if looking up at him. I ABSOLUTELY cannot wait to see him.

Words cannot describe how much Marc and I love this little being inside of me already. We've been ready to start a family for awhile, but school was something we felt we needed to finish before we embarked on this journey. So three years after marriage we are thrilled to be adding this tyke to the mix. And he is already soo loved by his mommy, daddy, monte and extended friends and family... Which I would like to thank. You guys make this experience so fun and special for us. Thank you for all you've done already. We're so lucky and blessed to have such charitable, giving, loving family and friends in our life. Plain and simple: Heavenly Father has truly blessed us, and we are SOOO grateful.

I'm back!

2010-02-03T11:40:00.005-06:00

Woah! It's been quite some time since I blogged last! SOOO much has happened in the last couple of months....

We found out our "little guy" is, in fact, a little guy! Yes, we are having a little boy and couldn't be MORE thrilled about it!!! I always thought I would have a boy first and the thought of having a little, baby Marc running around makes me so happy. I already love this baby SOOO much and can't wait until we finally get to meet him. These pics are from my 20 week ultrasound. I'm 26 weeks now, so he has grown quite a bit since then. I'm having my sugar test and another ultrasound next week, and I promise I will be more diligent about posting those sweet little baby pics! (The first pic is of his face, the second is a profile shot).

December and January are full of holidays for our family. We have Christmas and New Years, of course, and then a lot birthdays. We spent Christmas with Marc's family and really just had fun relaxing. New Year's was a lot of fun too. Then, in January, I had a great birthday. Thank you to all who sent cards! I have such awesome friends and family. This is a pic of what my coworkers did to my desk. They are pretty sweet, and it's going to be sad when I don't get to see them everyday... But definitely not sad enough to make me not want to stay home with my baby!

It feels SOOO good to finally say that I am graduating in three months!!! YAHOO! This semester is definitely going to be a crazy one. Working 20 hours, going to school 19 hours, and being prego isn't a piece of cake, but it's doable and it gives me immense motivation knowing I'll be ALL done very soon.

Okay, so here is a prego shot. Sorry the quality of these pics kinda suck. Blogspot won't recognize photos from my Canon, but it will recognize them from my iPhone so this is actually a picture of a picture, but you get the point. This was taken 1/23/2010, when Marc and I were just about to leave for a friends wedding. I was 24 weeks and 3 days along. Huge, right? Yeah... I sure feel it. I'm already dreaming about the day I can go running again!

Pink or Blue?

2009-12-16T10:40:00.003-06:00

In about 5 days we will, hopefully (if the baby isn't being modest), be able to know! I wanted to have the doctor write down the gender so we could unwrap it on Christmas morning, but others, who shall remain nameless, thought that idea was lame. So I was overruled. O'well- I suppose waiting would have been torturous!

17.5 Weeks

2009-12-06T20:47:00.002-06:00

Random Happenings...

2009-12-04T20:13:00.005-06:00

This semester is coming to a close which I couldn't be happier about. Going to school+ working+ being pregnant= NOT easy. We get to find out the gender on the 22nd, and are soo stinking excited we can barely contain it.

Marc's little brother and his wife are having a baby too. They are having a little girl and are due a couple months before Marc and I. I made this diaper cake for her shower. Super simple to make!

Ahhh... Christmas time! Oh how we love thee. This is a picture of Marc setting up our very first Christmas tree. We made hot chocolate and watched Christmas movies while we decorated the apartment. Loved it!

Obviously spelling isn't one of the Christmas tree manufacturer's strong points.

This is right after we got done putting some of the decorations on the tree. Monte isn't timid at all... He was all about exploring the random new object in his house.

I love our apartment all festive! It feels so warm and cozy and full of holiday spirit. Now we just have to get through the rest of our finals!

... I'll get some Thanksgiving pics up soon...

True happiness

2009-12-02T19:18:00.010-06:00

I have so much to blog about that I have been putting off... I suppose it's a mixture of being both lazy and busy. Tonight, however, I've been inspired to write about something I haven't thought about for awhile. I was rummaging through old files and I came across my journal from our dating days.

This particular journal dated back to January 3, 2004. It's amazing how journals take you back... Take you back to small details such as feelings, smells, people... everything. The journal ended with entries from my dating days with Marc. We had our ups and downs like every couple... But one thing that remained constant which I never, nor have I ever, wavered on is my love for him. This diary is filled with such simple, small details from years gone by that have meant so much to me.

4-1-06

"General Conference was today. I went to the morning session and sat with Marc. I walked in, sat down, and he looked over and said, "I love you so much!"

4-2-06

"I've learned through all of this that we each have to have a personal relationship with the Lord. There was a talk about that today... "Come onto the Lord." He is what brings everlasting happiness."

5-3-06

"I want to make the most of my life. I want to look back in 10 years and realize how much I've grown. Relationships are hard, but Marc is incredible. Heavenly Father has truly blessed me. I love him so much. Though it is hard being on my own, I've learned so much. I've laughed, cried, loved and lost. I want to marry Marc... To have a family with him."

7-20-06

"I have no idea why I even got so mad. But I did... and I said things that hurt Marc's feelings and I walked out. When I came back Marc had cleaned my apartment (something that I was stressing about) and left this note with a rose. He then made me dinner. He's so amazing. I asked him why he had done such nice things when I had hurt his feelings? I said, "Did you do all these things because I was mad at you"? He said, "No... I just knew it would make you happy."

8-24-06

"I have been feeling inadequate lately. I talk to Marc about it and he really helps. Today when I left work I found this note on my car:

Hey! I thought you'd like this. It's from Stand a Little Taller. President Hinckley- "I feel to invite every woman everywhere to rise to the great potential within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. I hope you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure. I hope you will not try to set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. I hope you will simply do what you can do in the best way you know. If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass." I hope this beings comfort. I love you! Love, Marc."

I also found stuff from our wedding/honeymoon. I found Marc's old mission temple recommend, our endowment name tags, ticket stubs from the Rangers game, stubs from the Fort Worth Zoo, the trolley passes we used to get to/from six flags... I also found Dove candy wrappers that have little sayings on the inside that we ate. My favorite? "Dare to love completely." Amen!

I realized we've learned and grown so much. Those dating days will live in my memory forever. But we still have an eternity to come. We have a family to start and more than a lifetime with each other. These are the days we will look back on. I'm so grateful for Heavenly Father. I'm grateful for my amazing husband who just seems to "get" me, and I'm grateful for the knowledge I have of the Restored Gospel. True happiness.

I'm so proud to be an Aggie... 11/18/99

2009-11-18T17:51:00.002-06:00

New Blog Name

2009-11-17T18:19:00.002-06:00

With our upcoming arrival we felt it was necessary to update the name of the blog... So now the URL is ajohnsontale.blogspot.com.

We have so much to be thankful for...

2009-11-17T10:38:00.005-06:00

Halloween

2009-11-11T22:55:00.004-06:00

We hope everyone had a good Halloween! We had fun plans, but I was feeling sick that night so we weren't able to do anything. I was really disappointed because I'm always hyped to celebrate holidays. So, Marc got a bunch of junk food together, made hot chocolate and we had a party on the bed while we watched a movie. It turned out to be an awesome night and a Halloween I'll definitely remember.

Yay for sweet hubbys.

New Baby!!

2009-11-11T22:43:00.003-06:00

Our good friends, Lindsey and Garrett, welcomed a beautiful baby girl on Oct 30th!!

Congrats to the new parents on their beautiful, baby girl!!